Hinchman leads the way to Normal for Geneva

New Trier didn't make many runs at Geneva in Monday night's Class 4A supersectional, with a 3-point flurry late in the third quarter about it until the final minutes.

Surprise, surprise: Emily Hinchman had the answer both times.

Hinchman, the Vikings' 5-foot-7 steady senior guard, played one of the best games of her career Monday night.

Not only did Hinchman supply her normal pressure at the top of the Vikings' 1-2-2 diamond press and their matchup zone, she ran the offense to perfection, creating one easy shot after another. Hinchman finished with 14 points, 9 assists and 4 steals in Geneva's 54-49 victory.

"Emily always plays awesome," Geneva senior Taylor Whitley said. "With her defense giving us the quick points, she always gets the job done."

Hinchman ended that New Trier third-quarter rally with two big plays in the final 10 seconds of the quarter. First, on an out-of-bounds play, she hit Lauren Wicinski for a basket that put Geneva up 36-25. Then with just 3 seconds left in the quarter, she stole the ball and scored, giving the Vikings 4 quick points and a 13-point lead going to the fourth quarter.

"We wanted to get as many quick baskets as we can at the end of quarters," Hinchman said.

"Emily plays her heart out every night," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. "She sets the tone for us defensively."

Hinchman also helped calm the Vikings in the fourth quarter when she made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute.

"I was trying to tune everything out and not focus on it," Hinchman said of the crowd noise at Loyola University. "It was very hard."

Hinchman got Geneva off to a fast start. The Vikings' offense created high-percentage shots throughout the quarter, as they shot 70 percent from the field in the opening eight minutes.

Hinchman found Lauren Wicinski by the basket, then two minutes later hit Whitley on a backdoor cut and a 10-4 lead. Hinchman's third assist of the first quarter, again to Wicinski, put Geneva ahead 14-6 after a quarter.

In the fourth quarter, it was Hinchman's turn to be on the receiving end of a backdoor cut. Whitley threaded a perfect pass and Hinchman finished a 3-point play for a 45-29 lead.

"We want to run our plays but we're really good moving without the ball," Hinchman said. "I think that helps when we look for each other. Everyone has a really good eye on the court."