Geneva can't enough of home sweet home
Having played 14 of its first 16 games away from home, Geneva's basketball team enjoyed a rare opportunity to play in front of the hometown faithful Friday night.
The Vikings (15-2, 6-2) didn't disappoint, earning a 63-45 Western Sun Conference triumph over visiting Rochelle (6-11, 0-7) in a game that was as one-sided as the score would indicate.
For starters, Geneva jumped out to an 8-2 lead during the first 4 minutes and stretched the margin to 14-7 after the opening quarter.
From there, the Vikings gradually pulled away, extending the lead to as many as 21 points in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
In addition to their substantial 39-22 rebounding edge, the Vikings attempted 24 free throws (making 18) to the Hubs' 2 - an obvious indication of their ability to take the ball to the basket.
"I think that's the formula for a winning team, isn't it?" Geneva coach Phil Ralston asked of his team's early lead coupled with huge free throw and rebounding advantages.
Senior guard/forward Jeremy D'Amico, who led the Vikings with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals, also liked his team's defensive approach.
"Our defense definitely stepped up in the first half," said D'Amico, who led the Vikings' parade to the free-throw line with an 11-for-15 performance. "Our pressure did well. We had a bunch of turnovers, which led to a lot of breakaway layups. That helped."
D'Amico scored 13 of the his team's 15 third-quarter points as the Vikings turned their 27-18 halftime lead into a 42-29 advantage heading into the final period.
"We did a nice job of controlling the tempo of the game," said Ralston. "We were impressed when we held Rochelle to 49 points the first time (64-49 victory) and I think we're more impressed with the defensive effort in the second game we played them."
Two-thirds of the Hubs' offensive output came from beyond the arc, as they finished 10-for-29 from 3-point territory.
"We knew they're a team that's going to hit some threes," said Ralston. "I thought we did a much better job in the first half than the second half (defensively) but I think we pretty much controlled the game a little bit better offensively in the second half."
Senior guard Sean Grady added 10 points while Rob Tauscher and Tyler Scofield each tallied 7 for the Vikings, who stayed within striking range of the top spot in the Western Sun.
"We couldn't stress the importance more, especially after losing to Sycamore, that we wanted to be in control of our destiny," said Ralston. "We didn't want to have to worry about someone else having to knock Glenbard South or DeKalb off."
Ben Schwartz paced the Hubs with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, while Kyle Furman added 13.
"When you watch them play, you know exactly how they plan on winning," Rochelle coach Russ Zick said of the Vikings. "Right now, we're not good enough to stop them.
"This is the first time that we've ever been swept by Geneva and we've played them for many years."
Geneva, which has technically played 3 home games (the Dec. 31 game vs. Kaneland was played at the United Center), visits St. Charles North tonight in nonconference action.
"You can call us the 'Road Warriors' because we've done pretty well on the road," Ralston said of his team's 12-2 record away from home. "It's going to be a tough game, we know it. St. Charles North is a very, very good team and we're playing on their floor."