Geneva overtakes Neuqua in 4th quarter
Saving its best for the last regular-season game, Geneva’s basketball team also recorded a first of sorts Friday night.
The Vikings (14-12) connected on 6-of-9 field-goal attempts and knocked down 12-of-14 free throws during a fourth-quarter comeback that enabled them to edge visiting Neuqua Valley 54-51 in Upstate Eight Conference crossover action.
Playing their final home game, seniors Brendan Leahy, Ryan Willing, and Phil Lorenz combined for 18 of the Vikings’ 24 fourth-quarter points.
Leahy’s 2 free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining upped Geneva’s lead to 3, and the Wildcats (17-11) were unable to hoist a potential game-tying, 3-point shot at the buzzer, as Ben Rogers stepped in front of Neuqua’s Tyler Sutton for a pass deflection.
“This is our first win ever over Neuqua,” said Vikings coach Phil Ralston, whose team snapped a 3-game losing streak. “For our program, this was a big step. That was one of the selling points we told the kids. Geneva had never beaten Neuqua on the varsity level in boys basketball.”
While Leahy scored a game-high 16 points, including 8 in the final period, it was Lorenz who helped provide a spark for the Vikings at the defensive end.
Lorenz’s steal and layup with 4:51 left gave the Vikings a 38-37 lead — their first since the opening quarter. The 5-11 guard recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go with 3 steals.
“He was unbelievable on defense,” Ralston said of Lorenz. “He had great anticipation and did a great job stepping into the passing lanes. We told our guys that we needed five guys crashing the glass, and Phil did a phenomenal job.”
Lorenz, who took a nasty fall on his side and was forced to sit out briefly in the first quarter, took the double-double news in stride.
“I was just working on boxing out and being aggressive to the ball,” said Lorenz. “When I would stop playing, I could feel it (hip) but when I was running it was fine.”
Willing (10 points) drained 5 of 6 foul shots over the final 4:17 and had a key rebound after Neuqua misfired on a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 20 seconds remaining.
“Ryan had a huge rebound there at the end,” said Ralston.
The Vikings also received timely baskets at crucial times from John Swiderski and Rogers. Swiderski’s 12-foot jumper in the paint gave Geneva a 45-44 lead with 2:02 left.
“Earlier in the game, he had almost the same situation and instead of popping the shot he went to his left and faded away,” said Ralston. “The next time he was in that situation he popped the shot.”
Rogers, meanwhile, put the Vikings ahead for good at 49-47 on a short turn-around jumper with a minute remaining, moments after the Wildcats’ Tyler Sutton nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 47-all.
“Right out of our offense off a weak-side pick, Ben did a great job of posting hard, catching, and then turning to the basket and finishing,” said Ralston, whose team begins regional play Monday night against Batavia at Metea Valley.
Darien Miskel and Jabari Sandifer paced Neuqua with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
“We couldn’t stop them from scoring,” said Wildcats coach Todd Sutton, whose team hosts Naperville Central Wednesday in regional semifinal action. “They were making every shot and every free throw. They picked us apart.”