A super difficult defeat for Geneva to take

The losses come so few and far between for the Geneva girls basketball team that when they do it's a bit of a shock to the system.

Hersey's 60-54 victory over the Vikings in the Class 4A Streamwood supersectional Monday certainly had that feeling.

Wait, why are the Huskies jumping up and down and chanting "I-S-U?" Why is the Hersey student section storming the court? Why do the Vikings players have their heads in their hands, getting long consoling hugs from family and friends?

It's been so long since any of us have seen it happen, it truly took a few minutes to sink in. I'm sure for some it might not have sunk in yet today.

So why did Geneva lose, the first time in 32 games this year and just the third time in 66 games the past two seasons?

The sea of blue supporting Geneva certainly would attribute part to the officiating.

There were some key calls that didn't go the Vikings' way, especially how fast Ashley Santos picked up her third and fourth fouls early in the fourth quarter.

That was the stretch when Geneva looked like it was just about to take control, seizing a 44-39 lead with 6:31 remaining. The Vikings had overcome Hersey junior Megan Rogowski's sizzling shooting in the first quarter and Lauren Wicinski's two first-quarter fouls to gradually look like they were about to deliver a knockout punch like they have done so many times before.

Just as tough to swallow as those two fouls was a non-call when Hersey climbed Geneva's back to keep the possession alive that eventually led to Santos' fourth foul on Rogowski's game-tying 3-point play.

"I thought we were finally playing better basketball especially offensively," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. "That was the turning point right there. Kind of felt the momentum started to shift there."

It's my job to be objective, and Geneva certainly didn't get any breaks. As the fans correctly pointed out at the time, it was 7 fouls to 2 at that point in favor of Hersey. With Santos out of the game, Rogowski assisted for a basket on Hersey's next possession and Nolan quickly had to get her defensive stopper back in the game.

By that time Rogowski - defended superbly by Santos over the middle two quarters - had her confidence going again and was simply unstoppable over the final five minutes.

If I was wearing blue I probably would have been as vocal as anyone at that time. But as I said it's my job to be neutral, and if I were breaking down the reasons for Geneva waking up this morning at 31-1 instead of the 32-0 the entire community hoped they be, those bad breaks might make up five percent.

The other 95 percent? How about 10 percent for a surprising late stretch for Geneva. Usually nobody executes better in the game's most important possessions than the Vikings, who showed that with their last-second win three games ago against St. Charles North. On Monday, Geneva couldn't get that key basket - or stop - it needed.

Throw in another 15 percent for Rogowski and her 29 points. Eleven came in the first quarter to get Hersey off to a 21-17 lead, and 13 more came in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, including a pair of back-to-back tough jumpers to build 50-46 and 52-46 leads. What more could you want from a star?

"We knew she would get her points but we'd like to have seen her get not quite so many," Nolan said.

Geneva came out in its matchup zone, but when the Vikings went man in the second quarter and put Santos on Rogowski, the Geneva sophomore hounded her to 2 points in the second quarter and 3 in the third.

"Santos played great defense on me, real physical," Rogowski said. "She was always right there. She didn't let me get the ball often and when I did she did a great job of ball defending. She did awesome."

Which made those two quick fouls that much harder to take.

How about another 25 percent for Hersey's work on the boards - a rare night where the Vikings met their match and were outrebounded 36-25.

"We knew they were aggressive and scrappy inside but I thought they had a couple second and third touches," Nolan said. "We just couldn't grab it."

Usually it is Geneva's 6-footers Wicinski and Kelsey Augustine causing problems inside. With Wicinski missing the entire second quarter in foul trouble, Augustine chipped in 9 rebounds and Sam Dudman 5 off the bench.

Hersey countered with its own pair of 6-footers, and Kathryn Korff and Maddie Swan led the rebounding advantage 11 and 10, respectively.

"I knew she (Wicinski) is a great rebounder, I knew I had to box out every single time," Swann said. "That was one of my biggest roles today.

"We knew they are an awesome team but we knew we had a good strength of schedule and knew we could play anyone that comes at us."

And that leads me to my last reason. Hersey is good. I certainly thought they were better than the New Trier squad Geneva beat in last year's supersectional. While the Vikings didn't play their best game Monday, they played better than they had in a couple of the games they won this postseason.

Maybe you could give the remaining 50 percent of why Geneva lost by giving credit to a team that had a better night, one that got to a few more loose balls and second-chance points, that only turned the ball over 6 times and that had a superstar hitting superstar shots with the game on the line.

And to Geneva's credit, that's pretty much what they did.

"We didn't play our game tonight," Wicinski said, "but give them all the credit it the world. They played their hearts out."

As did Geneva. Not just Monday but all season. To graduate the school's all-time leading scorer Taylor Whitley and go 31-1 is remarkable.

They did it with talent, and with Santos (16 points), Kat Yelle (17 points) and Sammy Scofield leading the way they'll have plenty of talent back next year.

They also did it with tremendous teamwork, a collection of girls that came together and genuinely loved each other's company, not just loved winning all those games.

"I couldn't ask for a better team, a better season," Wicinski said. "Obviously I wish we would have won. I just love them so much, they are like my family. It will be weird not see them every day. It will be sad."

While bitterly disappointed they aren't going back to Normal, they sounded even more sad they won't get to see each other every day.

"The girls were so great," Santos said. "It's going to be hard for me to adjust not coming after school and going to practice without them. I just loved the season so much. Now that it is over it is going to be hard."

"I hate to see the kids so upset because then I think what I could have done differently," Nolan said. "But you can't win them all. It just didn't come together for us tonight."

jlemon@dailyherald.com

"I'm so proud of the girls," Nolan said. "They obviously are upset. Can't be ashamed of 31-1 and two sectionals back to back. We try to think of that right now but it hurts when you work so hard for it since last summer. I feel more for the girls. The thing they are most sad about is they are not going to hang out every day. They are a super tight group. Super tight. They are sad about that day-to-day interaction coming to an end.