Geneva escapes with win over Downers Grove North

The one sure thing heading into the Bartlett sectional was that Geneva earned the top seed.

The Vikings spent the last two weeks proving why.

After a 22-point second-half margin shrank to 1 point in the final half-minute, Geneva held off Downers Grove North 75-70 on Friday to claim the Class 4A Bartlett sectional championship.

The Vikings (32-1), who won the 2015 sectional title en route to a fourth-place state finish, advance to the Northern Illinois University supersectional to take on Rockford East at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in DeKalb.

"This was a huge goal of ours coming into the season," said Geneva senior guard Jack McDonald, who led his team with 29 points. "I think we just embraced that target. It helps us prepare harder for every game and it's been paying off. The mentality all year has been to focus on the next game. It's been the same with the playoffs. We've just got to get the job done Tuesday and then think about Peoria after that."

A 15-2 run to close the first half gave Geneva a 41-23 halftime lead. It ballooned to 47-25 with 5:24 left in the third quarter, and the game looked over.

Not quite.

Fifth-seeded Downers Grove North (23-12), making its first sectional final appearance since 1999, unleashed full-court pressure that resulted in a 20-5 run and a 56-50 deficit early in the fourth quarter. McDonald fouled out in the final minute, joining fellow Geneva starters Garret Sneed and Kross Garth with five fouls. Mitch Mascari, who had 10 points, was limited all night due to foul trouble.

Trojans senior Trey Boston, who poured in a game-high 35 points, including seven 3-pointers, scored to make it 71-70 with 33 seconds left in the game. Mascari drained a couple free throws and then blocked Sema'j Henderson's attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining.

Mascari hit two more free throws with 3.1 seconds left to seal the victory.

"This game was insane," Mascari said. "We had such a comfortable lead, but we faced a lot of adversity and we pulled through."

Downers North, which hadn't allowed more than 46 points in three previous playoff games, couldn't get a stop until five minutes into the first quarter. The Vikings, who led wire-to-wire, hit the 46-point mark in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

It didn't look like Downers North had a chance heading into halftime, but the Trojans' defense, Geneva's foul trouble and Boston's remarkable shooting kept them alive.

"We came into halftime with a positive mindset, not negative," Boston said. "We had the momentum in our favor the whole second half. It's just certain stuff didn't go our way. I'm happy with the way we fought."

Both teams went deep into their benches for extended minutes because of the many fouls. Boston and Henderson, who had 19 points, played most of the fourth quarter with four fouls while trying to pressure Geneva into turnovers.

Josh Preston scored 16 points for Geneva while Collin Reed had 10 points for Downers North.

"It felt like we were going to tear the place down for a second," said Trojans coach Jim Thomas. "The kids played with great energy and passion. Proud of all the guys. I love the fact that our guys had no quit in them."

Winning the sectional title was a definite goal for Geneva, which has broken the program record for wins in a season. Now the Vikings aim to beat Rockford East to match the 2015 team's trip to Peoria.

"Survive and advance," said Geneva coach Scott Hennig. "Both teams played so hard and made plays."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit