Yelle continues stellar postseason play
In the closing seconds of Geneva's first girls basketball sectional championship Thursday night at Addison Trail, the Vikings student section started chanting "Un-de-feat-ed!"
A Lake Park fan turned to another and said, "They're undefeated?"
Oh yeah. And how.
Undefeated - with work still to do. And with the players to get it done.
Senior Taylor Whitley played another outstanding game Thursday, scoring 25 points with plenty of other impressive stats in the Vikings' 70-47 win over Lake Park. But one of her teammates continued to shine right along with Whitley.
Sophomore Kat Yelle tied Whitley for scoring honors Thursday with 25 points. That came after Yelle poured in 20 points to lead Geneva (31-0) in Monday's win over Elk Grove.
"I know someone besides Taylor has to step up and our team knows that too," Yelle said. "It takes some of the pressure off her. We just all need to step up like we've been doing."
Yelle averaged 8.5 points during the year, and she has taken her scoring to another level so far in the postseason. She also scored in double figures in both of the Vikings' regional wins at West Chicago.
The boost in scoring still comes with the strong defense and passing she displayed all year. Yelle pocketed 6 steals Thursday.
"She's got such great heart and desire and she just wants to win," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. "The other kids do too but she is a typical gym rat. She has such great composure on the court especially as a ballhandler as a sophomore."
When Whitley went to the bench late in the second quarter with three fouls, Yelle drove for a key basket to stem a Lancer rally and leave Geneva ahead 29-24 at halftime.
The 5-foot-7 sophomore poured in 16 points in the second half, including 11 points in the fourth quarter. On one play, she went right at 6-foot-4 Samantha Arnold and scored at the basket.
That move brought oohs and aahs from the huge Geneva crowd - and her coach.
"That hesitation and she went up on Arnold tonight, that was like an ESPN highlight," Nolan said. "She is just playing with a lot confidence and a lot of desire."