Bartlett gives unbeaten Geneva a tough battle
In the spirit of the first Bartlett-Geneva-Kay Yow WBCA Cancer Fund 'Pink Zone' fundraiser, Bartlett showed that despite facing the No. 1 ranked team in the Daily Herald Top 20, giving up was not an option.
However, after the Hawks cut a 20-point deficit to 4-points with 2 minutes left to play, Geneva proved for the 26th consecutive game, why it remains undefeated as the Vikings held on for a 76-66 nonconference girls basketball win Saturday in Bartlet.
Down 60-45 entering the final 8 minutes of the game, Jacki Gulczynski, Ashley Santos and Christina Carlson (5 points, 3 blocks) took turns fueling a 12-2 Bartlett run. The push brought the Hawks within 5 at 62-57 with 3:31 left to play.
Geneva's Kelsey Augustine (7 points, 7 rebounds) stopped the bleeding with an inside bucket. Teammates Sam Dudman (10 points, 4 steals) and Kat Yelle (10 points, 5 rebounds) each followed, sinking a pair from the foul line.
Santos kept Bartlett alive going 4-for-4 from the foul line, and later put back an offensive rebound to give the Hawks their smallest deficit of the night at 68-64 with 2:18 remaining. Santos led the Hawsks with 21 points.
"Bartlett was a great test for us," said Geneva coach Gina Nolan, whose team was given its second closest game of the season.
"We hadn't been challenged like that coming in. It was great to see the girls keep their composure late when Bartlett made their runs."
The game ended with Geneva taking four trips to the free throw line, converting on 5-of-8 for the 10-point victory.
With fouls coming early and often, the Vikings tallied a season-high 34 free throws in 41 attempts.
Hitting 14-of-16, leading scorer Taylor Whitley set the tempo for an 83 percent team stint at the charity stripe.
"I've never been to the line sixteen times in one game," said Whitley. "Free throws were crucial in this game, and we did a great job executing as a team."
Whitley finished with 26 points and is now just 12 points shy of the 2,000 mark in career points.
Bartlett (14-9) racked up 7 fouls in the first 6 minutes of play, and the two teams combined for more than two-dozen before the half.
Despite foul trouble, the Hawks stayed alive. Gulczynski finished with 18 points and 4 swipes, and Kristen Conniff added 7 points.
"We handled pressure well all night," said Bartlett coach Denise Sarna. "We learned that down 20, we can battle back. To do that against one of the top teams in the state shows a lot of heart and a lot of fight."
For Geneva, which is ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, Emily Hinchman was the fourth player to reach double-digits with 11 points. Lauren Wicinski (8 points, 3 blocks, 5 rebounds) was another factor in the Viking attack.
"Bartlett tested us in a lot of ways," said Nolan. "Rebounding helped us, and we hit shots when we needed to."