Geneva's fast starts trips St. Charles East
The DuKane Conference girls basketball game was essentially decided in the first handful of minutes Tuesday night.
Geneva busted out of the gate with 17 of the first 21 points in its home encounter with St. Charles East.
The Vikings' 56-43 victory margin was beyond misleading as Geneva coach Sarah Meadows sent her starters to the pines with a 25-point spread late in the third quarter.
Not a single one of the Geneva girls comprising the starting five returned.
"We just knew it was a conference game and had to come out with a strong start," said Geneva junior Kelly McCloughan, one of three Vikings in double figures with 12 points. "We just wanted to play fast. We're more athletic playing fast. After halftime, Meadows just said to get a little spark going."
Geneva star Lindsay Blackmore, the last varsity link to the Vikings' back-to-back Class 4A state champions as an underclassman, scored all 13 of her team-high points in the opening half.
St. Charles East (6-14, 1-4) never came within single digits after the Vikings (12-4, 4-0) opened the game on a 17-4 run.
Blackmore had a 3-pointer and two conventional field goals in the Vikings' game-breaking first quarter.
"One of our goals this season is to win conference," said Blackmore, bound for Colgate University. "We wanted to capitalize on our press."
The Saints' Gabby Schmidt would ultimately tie teammate Elle Mccaslin for game-scoring honors with 15 points.
But the Saints could never unwrap themselves from the early Geneva onslaught.
"We just started off slow," Schimdt said. "It got in our heads in the beginning."
Schmidt scored on three consecutive second-quarter possessions to help the Saints hover around double-digits behind.
"Earlier this week, the coaches were talking about roles," Schmidt said of her 6 straight points. "I felt comfortable playing my role."
The St. Charles East bid for an upset unraveled in the third quarter.
Emma Yakey and Julia Matheny were the only players to score from the field for the Saints as Geneva turned its 32-18 halftime lead into threatening a running-clock fourth quarter with 16 points.
Geneva reserve Cassidy Arni was a central villain for the Saints with her 6 third-quarter points.
Kate Palmer added a pair of third-quarter conventional scores to augment her 7 first-half points in finishing with 11 points overall for the Vikings.
"We wanted to come out hard, and we were motivated from the beginning," Palmer said.