Geneva blitzes St. Charles East with 43-point 1st half
Having a 16-day layoff can be a positive thing, especially for a team that has been riddled with injuries.
But when you're facing a girls basketball team like Geneva, perhaps a long layoff isn't all that much of a luxury.
Utilizing their full-court pressure defense, the Vikings (13-4, 4-1) played a near-flawless first half while building a 43-11 lead over St. Charles East (4-12, 2-4) at the break. Geneva went on to a 69-44 Upstate Eight Conference River Division victory Saturday night in St. Charles.
"We were just doing what we do trying to get steals and fastbreaks," said Geneva senior guard Kat Yelle, who finished with 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals in less than 3 quarters of action.
The Vikings forced 13 first-quarter turnovers, which led to 6 uncontested layups as part of their 18-3 early surge.
"The last few games, our press has been getting better and better," said Vikings coach Gina Nolan. "Everyone is learning their responsibilities and just attacking better."
After sophomore guard Paige Jordan (10 points, 8 rebounds) scored the Saints' third basket of the game to make it 24-8, the Vikings exploded for 19 unanswered points and extended their lead to 43-8 with 1:26 left in the second quarter.
Ashley Santos, who poured in a game-high 17 points to go with 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots, Katelyn Allen, Sammy Scofield and Yelle combined for 19 of the Vikings' 25 second-quarter points.
"We got some real nice transition points and it was a great team effort," said Nolan.
Committing 21 first-half turnovers while shooting just 11 percent from the field wasn't exactly what Saints coach Lori Drumtra expected from her team, which was playing its first game since Dec. 23.
"I can't remember the last time we've given up 43 points in a half," said Drumtra. "Having the 11 points at the half, I can live with that. I knew we were going to be rusty. It's the 43 points that I have a hard time stomaching because I think we're a better defensive team than that."
Drumtra was a bit perplexed by her team's inability to get the ball across half-court.
"We certainly prepped for it," Drumtra said of the Vikings' ballhawking defense. "We watched film from two different games on Geneva. We know their game. We must have practiced breaking the press ad nauseam.
"We got here and it looked like we had never seen it before. That's what is so frustrating. But you've got to give Geneva credit. They do force you into playing faster than you're used to. They're a very talented team. They have a lot of very athletic players and they use that athleticism quite effectively."
Morgan Vyzral led the Saints with 11 points, while freshman Amanda Hilton added 10.
Rachel Hinchman and Stevie Fanale chipped in with 8 and 7 points, respectively, for the Vikings.