Geneva rallies to nip Larkin
Geneva and Larkin gave fans a glimpse into the future of Upstate Eight Conference boys basketball Wednesday night.
Geneva (16-9), a member of the Western Sun Conference, will join the UEC next season along with Batavia and Metea Valley to form a 14-team, two-division conference.
Larkin (7-17) and Geneva will face each other twice yearly in a division that will also include, St. Charles North, St. Charles East, Batavia, Streamwood and Elgin.
The Vikings launched the initial salvo in the new rivalry by rallying from a 6-point halftime deficit with a superb third quarter, and they held on for a 54-52 nonconference victory in Elgin.
"They are going to be a rival with us now and you could see that they wanted to get at us tonight," Geneva coach Phil Ralston said of the Royals, who dropped their 13th straight decision.
Larkin came out firing first. The Royals sank 4-of-6 shots from 3-point range in the first quarter to bolt to a 16-9 lead, and the Royals maintained a 27-21 edge at the half.
In their respective locker rooms during intermission, both Ralston and Larkin acting coach Steve Knapp stressed the importance of setting the second-half tone in the first three minutes of the third quarter, but only Geneva heeded the call.
The Vikings opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run and took the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter when junior Dan Trimble splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc that put Geneva ahead 30-29 with only 2:28 elapsed.
The Vikings, who played without senior guard Nolan Block after he fell hard in practice on Tuesday, executed their offense with far greater efficiency in the second half. They sank 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range in the third quarter, including a pair by junior guard Dan Hince, as they outscored the Royals 20-7 to take a 41-34 lead to the final period.
"We came out slow," said Geneva senior JP Landry, who scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. "We weren't ready to play. We were kind of dogging it. Coach talked to us and told us we had to pick it up and play defense, make great shots. We came out and took that to heart and executed."
Larkin fought back with an 8-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter, a push powered by three straight baskets from senior guard Ramadan Adili. The Royals tied the game at 49 on a 3-pointer by guard Jermaine Clements with 2:14 left in the game. The senior scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Geneva was not to be denied, however. Senior Michael Santacaterina was fouled driving though the lane, and he sank 2 free throws with 1:33 to play to put the Vikings ahead.
Larkin had its chances to even the score or take the lead, but a 3-point attempt was off the mark and the Royals missed a pair of free throws with 22.7 left. Geneva's Brandon Beitzel rebounded the missed free throw, was immediately fouled and sank a pair in the super bonus to give the Vikings a 53-49 lead.
Larkin sharpshooter Ryan Smith attempted a 3-pointer at the other end, but the 6-foot-6 Landry ran out to the corner and blocked Smith's shot. Beitzel grabbed the loose ball, was fouled and split a pair from the line with 8.5 seconds left for a 54-49 lead.
Clements banked in a 3-pointer from long range at the buzzer, but it was too little too late for the Royals, who lost their fifth straight game by 8 points or less.
"Our guys are playing with every team we've played lately, but we just need to execute a little more and stop their runs a little quicker than normal," Knapp said. "We played well. I mean that's a very good program and we knew that coming in."