Top-seeded Geneva ousts West Chicago

Geneva's perfect regular-season record may not carry any weight in the playoffs - but the Vikings know it brings a heavy dose of attention.

That's fine with them.

"Every time we step on the floor, no matter who it is, we need to prove ourself," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. "We know the target is on our back, and it gets bigger with every game."

The No. 1 seed Vikings handled their first challenger on Wednesday, beating host West Chicago 54-32 at the Class 4A West Chicago regional.

Geneva (28-0) will play No. 9 seed Proviso West (21-10), a 57-43 winner over Conant, for the regional championship Friday.

"First game down, it's always good to get that one off your chest," said Geneva's Taylor Whitley, who scored 16 points and passed the 2,000-point mark for her career.

Geneva wasted no time showing why it can be death to opponents in a transition game. The Vikings broke out to a 14-0 lead in the game's first three minutes, forcing turnovers on five of West Chicago's first six possessions. Whitley assisted three baskets and scored 6 points in the first quarter, and Kat Yelle had 9 points.

"I don't know if there's any team that's as good of a transition team as Geneva," West Chicago coach Kim Wallner said. "Their quickness can be very intimidating."

West Chicago, to its credit, didn't break after the early onslaught. Jessica Baids scored 9 of her 12 points in the first half and Claire Monroe knocked down three 3-pointers in the second quarter. The third pulled the Wildcats within 25-19 with 5:16 left in the half.

"I was happy that we came back to make the run we did," Wallner said, "because we could have just fallen apart at 14-0. Baids played with a vengeance."

Geneva, though, answered with a 10-0 run and led by double digits the rest of the way.

West Chicago finished its season 14-14, a big leap from 2-25 the year prior. Even better, the Wildcats return all but one player next year from their usual rotation.

"I've already started talking to them about the future," Wallner said, "and it's only been five minutes since we've been done playing. We did make a jump and we can't rest on it. But it is an exciting time in the program right now."