Geneva falls despite 35 from Turnowchyk
If someone had told Geneva basketball coach Tim Pease before his team's opening game in the DeKalb Holiday Tournament that one of his guards would toss in seven 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 35 points in helping the team compile 81 in a losing cause, he'd likely get the same blank stare Pease displayed when the final buzzer sounded Saturday afternoon.
Geneva led most of the way in a spirited contest against Harlem but gave up just enough offensive rebounds, committed just enough turnovers and missed just enough free throws to come up on the short end in an entertaining 82-81 contest.
Alex Turnowchyk tallied that game-high 35 points with an array of outside shots and drives to the basket, but his performance was offset by the Huskies' frontline tandem of Chaz Winters (team-high 27 points) and Casey Beck (18 points, game-high 12 rebounds).
And with 9 seconds left, and the Vikings trailing 81-78, Turnowchyk was unable to shake the tight defense of Harlem's Bennie Gray on an inbounds play, resulting in a five-second violation and turnover that dashed the Vikings' hopes.
"They won the game today in about a four-and-a-half foot circle right around the basket," Pease said of Harlem's numerous layups (19) or offensive-rebound baskets (8).
"I thought our traps were effective and I thought we caused enough turnovers (20), but at the same time once that ball came out of the trap, we didn't rotate fast enough," Pease said. "And when they shot early and missed, we didn't come up with those boards, and that was the game.
"When you score 81 points, that should be enough to win."
It wasn't enough, mainly because Harlem (6-2) stayed just close enough in never trailing by more than 8 points, to break down Geneva's defense in the fourth quarter by slipping through traps and finding cutters near the basket.
Winters was the recipient of those passes early in the fourth quarter, scoring on three inside drives to push Harlem ahead 71-69.
Geneva (8-3) enjoyed its last lead when Jeremy D'Amico (10 points) hit two free throws for a 74-73 edge with 3:39 left, but Winters responded with two inside baskets and teammate Ryan Shelton drew D'Amico's fifth foul while tallying a layup that gave Harlem a 79-76 lead.
The ball became elusive for both teams in the game's final two minutes, as each had two turnovers. But the Vikings also missed three critical free throws in the game's final minute.
After the key turnover with 9 seconds left, Jordan Johnson (17 points) sealed the win for Harlem by making one of two free throws for an 82-78 lead, rendering moot a 3-point shot at the buzzer by Turnowchyk.
"It gave us some momentum early and that really helped, but 35 didn't get us the W," Turnowchyk said of his hot hand. "Not boxing out and getting the rebound really hurt us tonight."
Geneva held its own on the boards in the first half, holding a 20-19 rebounding edge at halftime. But Harlem took over in the second half on its way to gaining a 37-25 overall edge.
"We were lucky to walk out of here with a win," Harlem coach Mike Moore said. "Geneva is a very fundamentally sound and well-balanced team.
"Offensively, we were able to survive, and defensively we were able to get stops when we needed them," Moore said. "But I wasn't happy with our execution down the stretch."
Geneva's second-round game in Pool C play has been switched to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday against Hyde Park. The Vikings originally were scheduled for a 9 a.m. start.