Moyer sparks Geneva with play off the bench

Throughout its highly successful season, Geneva's basketball team has received prolific production from its terrific trio - Nate Navigato, Pace Temple and Loudon Vollbrecht.

Wednesday night was no exception as Navigato, Temple and Vollbrecht combined for 46 points, 22 rebounds, 5 blocked shots and 5 assists during the Vikings 63-54 Class 4A sectional semifinal victory over Rockford Jefferson (23-9) in DeKalb.

However, there were other contributors helping push the Vikings to their 28th win of the season.

Perhaps no one more important than Stephen Moyer, who came off the bench to score 7 points, grab a pair of rebounds and provide defensive toughness in 11-plus minutes of action.

With his team trailing 40-31 midway through the third quarter, Moyer stood his ground and took a charge from J-Hawks forward Montel Brown (13 points, 6 rebounds) - a play that forced the Rockford Jefferson senior to the bench for a brief time with 3 fouls.

Less than a minute later, Temple delivered a clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key and Moyer split 2 free throws before Vollbrecht followed his own miss with a putback as the Vikings pulled within 40-37 after 3 quarters.

"I try to bring a lot of energy, especially defensively," said Moyer. "A lot of times, I come in and just try to spark things. That's my biggest job."

The willingness of the 6-foot-5 senior forward to accept his role does not come as a surprise to Vikings coach Phil Ralston.

"The reason why we're 28-3 is because we've had kids who have been able to buy into roles," said Ralston. "I'm sure to a certain degree there's some pride swallowing. If we had some guys on different teams, they'd probably get more playing time.

"What we've tried to sell to our kids all the way 1 through 19 (total players) is everyone has a role on this team," added the coach. "Everyone plays a role in our success and the stronger we are 1 through 19 the better we are as a team."

Moyer takes a great deal of pride in his defensive play.

"I'm not as talented as Nate (Navigato) but I definitely try very hard on defense," he said. "I've guarded him in practice - or I should say I've tried to guard Nate."

"When you get a kid like Stephen Moyer who says, 'yes, coach' to everything you do and is going to buy into that, it's a great thing," said Ralston. "The sad part is that you don't always get teams to do this. That's why this has been such a special season."

Ralston realizes the kind of player he has in Moyer, who combined with reserves Sean Chambers, Chandler Fuzak and Mike Landi to nearly double the J-Hawks' bench output (15-8).

"He's one of the best kids at challenging shots that we've got," said Ralston, whose team faces Rockford Auburn (29-1) Friday night.

Moyer is happy to contribute any way possible.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "I was on the team last year but I didn't play much. Being able to contribute in the wins is a great feeling."