Geneva battles but can’t erase Fenwick’s fast start

If Geneva needed any reminder about the type of quality nonconference additions to its schedule this year, Fenwick took care of that before its game even started Tuesday night in Oak Park.

The Friars held their banner night, welcoming back their 2001 girls basketball state champion team in a pre-game ceremony.

Fenwick, which also won the 2007 state title and has reached state seven times in the last 11 years, has another team this season capable of adding to those numbers. The Friars raced to a 26-6 lead before Geneva settled down, outscoring Fenwick by 3 points the rest of the way in a 61-44 loss.

Geneva (15-6) played short-handed with second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Ashley Santos home sick having missed the last day-and-a-half of school.

“Obviously missing Ashley’s size and overall athleticism hurts,” Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. “(But) we got back in it, We battled and showed we can play with them.”

Geneva guard Rachel Hinchman said she found out she would be starting, “when the game started.” The junior responded with a team- and career-high 13 points.

“I was ready to go,” Hinchman said. “I just wanted to step up for my team and do what I could do.

“They (Fenwick) are a good team. We worked hard, did the same things we have been practicing all season.”

Fenwick (20-2) scored the first 7 points in just over a minute. Katelyn Allen’s putback got the Vikings on the board, just a momentarily break from Fenwick’s opening onslaught. The Friars closed the first quarter on a 15-4 run to take a 22-6 lead. Fenwick center Hannah Ballard scored 8 of the points, 6 on second-chance buckets, while Geneva hurt itself with 8 turnovers.

“All the turnovers and stuff were getting to us,” Hinchman said. “We just picked it up and tried to do what we could.”

Trailing 26-6, the Vikings rattled off 13 straight points. Kelsey Pease’s basket closed the first-half scoring and brought Geneva within 31-23 at halftime.

Geneva stayed within striking distance throughout the third quarter, down 43-31. Kat Yelle made 4 free throws and assisted Sammy Scofield on a backdoor score.

The Vikings were still within 47-37 with 5:56 to go on Brooke Binette’s jumper before Fenwick scored the next 9 points for a commanding 19-point lead.

Yelle finished with 12 points. Like Geneva, Fenwick played at the McDonald’s Shootout on Jan. 15, and Yelle’s 38-point game that night made quite an impression on recent 800-game winner, Fenwick coach Dave Powers.

“I thought we did a decent job on her to slow her down,” Powers said. “That was one of our pregame goals was to make sure she didn’t drop another 38 on us. I thought that was the big thing, the defense on her and we got a real strong inside game from our power forwards and centers.”

While those inside players — Ballard (18 points), Kyra Navarrete (15 points including her 1,000th career point in the final minute) and Meredith Boadman (13 points) caused Geneva problems, the Vikings did battle to within 40-33 on the glass with a team effort headed by Binette and Katelyn Allen.

Geneva returns to action Thursday night looking to avenge its only conference loss of the season when it hosts St. Charles North who defeated the Vikings 59-57 on Nov. 30. The last two games between the teams have been decided by 2 points at the buzzer.

Another tough nonconference battle can only help.

“I told the kids I’m really proud of their effort and they never gave up,” Nolan said. “We got outmanned in a few places tonight but it wasn’t for a lack of trying or effort.”