Geneva, St. Charles N. ready to renew growing rivalry

In the last 12 months, there hasn't been a better area girls basketball matchup than St. Charles North vs. Geneva.

The teams have been playing for a few years since the North Stars started going to Geneva's Thanksgiving Tournament, and there were several memorable games between the Taylor Whitley-led Vikings and the Kelsey Smith-led North Stars.

But the rivalry really heated up last February in the Class 4A St. Charles North regional championship game. Geneva came in undefeated, on the heels of a 2009 state berth and probably a pretty heavy favorite in most people's eyes.

It was the North Stars who were in control heading into the final quarter, leading 35-25 with Geneva's Lauren Wicinski saddled with four fouls after a controversial technical foul. Vikings coach Gina Nolan rolled the dice, played Wicinski the entire fourth quarter and the Geneva fans roared with delight when Wicinski took a feed from Kat Yelle and scored the game-winner with 3.8 seconds to go for a 47-45 thrilling victory.

A heartbreaker for sure for the North Stars who got a measure of revenge on Nov. 30 earlier this season in the first meeting between the teams as Upstate Eight Conference rivals. Geneva missed a shot at the buzzer in a 59-57 loss.

“It should be a great battle,” said Geneva coach Gina Nolan who wasn't on the bench in the first meeting this year. “It has become a rivalry like Batavia, it doesn't matter records you can kind of put them aside. There is a lot of emotion. A good rivalry. Quite a bit of emotion last year obviously in that (regional championship) game. It should be a fun atmosphere.”

It's also a pivotal game in the UEC race. Geneva (15-6, 5-1) enters the game trailing Streamwood (16-4, 7-1) with St. Charles North (11-10, 6-2) a game back in the loss column.

Four of the returning starters from the 2010 regional final had big nights in the first meeting. Tess Fischer scored 22 points and Sydney Russell had 20 for the North Stars while Yelle scored 22 and Ashley Santos 20 for Geneva. Santos did it despite battling foul trouble; the North Stars hit 18 of 30 free throws to Geneva's 7-18; just 4-12 in the fourth quarter.

The North Stars have become more balanced as the season has progressed. In wins over Lyons and St. Charles East last weekend, their bench led by Leah Horton and Meghan Booe stepped up. Booe hauled down a game-high 8 rebounds against the Saints.

“She (Booe) had a huge weekend,” North Stars coach Colleen Brennan said. “Our key this weekend was pressure. Her intensity, she really took that word to heart. She crashed the boards unbelievably.”

Ever since losing freshman Sydney Santos in the first 20 minutes of the first practice of the season with a season-ending knee injury, the Vikings have been undersized in almost every matchup. St. Charles North actually has a player who can relate perfectly in power forward Taylor Russell.

“Taylor, her composure is about as good as gets,” Brennan said. “When you are in a tight game you want her in the ballgame. She's a competitor, she keeps her composure. She is a huge power forward and she's 5-foot-6. I don't want to guard her because I come out with bruises. She is a tough kid.”

The Vikings counter inside with players like senior Brooke Binette who came off the bench with 8 points Tuesday in a 61-44 loss to Fenwick, the No. 4 team in the state in Class 4A. Geneva played without Ashley Santos (illness) in that game — Nolan is hopeful but not positive Santos will play Thursday.

“Brooke, she has been a spark for us off the bench all year,” Nolan said. “Those guys are working so hard in there. Rebounding isn't always about height but height helps.”

Junior Rachel Hinchman stepped up without Santos and started and scored a career-high 13 points Tuesday.

“I think we are going to be more ready,” Hinchman said. “We are going to come out even harder and prove it to them that we can beat them. We'll come out a lot harder because we want to show them what we can do.”

Also on Thursday Geneva will host a “Passionately Pink for the Cure” night to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation. Events will include a 50/50 raffle and recognition of cancer survivors.