Yelle scores 1,000th career point in Geneva's win

When she was a freshman, Geneva point guard Kat Yelle didn't spend a lot of time worrying about milestones or what she might achieve in the then distant future of her senior year.

Friday night, in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, Yelle carved her name among the Geneva's best when she scored her 1,000th career point.

"As a freshman I didn't think about those kinds of goals," Yelle said. "But as the years went by it became something I was determined to do."

The highlight of the night came midway through the second quarter of an 82-18 blowout of Elgin, off a steal and pass by Kelsey Pease that lead to a breakaway layup. It was perhaps the most appropriate way for the Vikings' floor leader to cap her run to a 1000 points.

"That basically summed up how we play," Yelle said. "We love to play fast and feisty and get steals, that's our game. Our goal going into every game is to play tough defense, get steals, and kick it up the floor as fast as we can."

As soon as the points went on the board Geneva called timeout so that an announcement could be made, and the already loud Viking crowd got a whole lot louder.

Yelle made an impact on the program as a freshman who quickly learned her way around the high school game.

"She's come a long way since her freshman year, though she was already really good back then," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said.

Yelle scored 107 points her freshman year, then improved to 314 as a sophomore, 452 a year ago, and now has 130 this season after finishing Friday night's game with 19.

"It's been nice to watch her grow and mature as a player," Nolan said. "I was happy that she was able to achieve this at home."

It was a special night for Nolan, who is recovering from cancer treatment, and had not been able to attend a game since before Thanksgiving.

"I wanted to be there for her," Nolan said. "Kat and I have been through a lot together."

Tim Pease, former Geneva boys basketball coach, is running the team in Nolan's absence. He remembers Yelle as a dedicated junior high school player.

"People see her in a game and she makes it look so easy," Pease said. "What they don't see is all of the hard work, the hours that she puts into it. She's so deserving of everything she's achieving now."

The Vikings' ability to work the floor and distribute the ball was on full display against Elgin (0-8), and Yelle was at the center of much of that, adding 5 assists to her totals.

"She's so unselfish on the floor," Nolan said. "She gives up the ball a lot of times when she could score."

Sammy Scofield was in the thick of the Vikings' 29-point first quarter, scoring 4 points and picking up 5 assists, 3 of which ended up in Yelle's hands. It was a familiar script for the longtime teammates and friends.

"I wanted her to get the 1,000 because that's been one of her goals," Scofield said. "We're close, and we've been playing together for so long that I always know where she's going to be on the floor."

The Vikings (6-2) got contributions from not just their entire lineup, but their whole roster as every player saw significant floor time and contributed in some way.

"It's so much fun because you never know who is going to shoot it," Geneva junior Ashley Santos, who scored 11 points and had 3 assists, said.

It seemed in line with the way this team plays the game that on a night where the spotlight was trained on one outstanding player, there turned out to be enough floor time for everyone to shine.

"My first goal is always for the team to do well and to play our game," Yelle said. "I think it's important to always have the personal goals in the back of your mind but not to focus too much on them. If you want something bad enough and you work hard you're going to get it."