Chambers' clutch free throws lift Geneva over Quincy
Geneva forward Sean Chambers scored 2 points. Guard Daniel Santacaterina didn't score at all.
It's been said, though, it takes a village. In crunchtime each made plays to get the Vikings past upset-minded Quincy, 50-47, on Geneva's Hall of Fame night Saturday.
Dogged Quincy's 15-2 run overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a 47-46 lead on a drive by Jacob Jobe with 31.6 seconds left.
After a Geneva timeout the Vikings missed a quick 3-point try, the ball rattling around under the basket. Chambers grabbed it, was fouled and made 2 free throws with 15 seconds left.
"We had to make a play. I saw an open lane," said Chambers, a 6-foot-3 junior forward.
"We shoot at least probably 500 free throws a week in practice, so that's good, it's helpful to get all those reps," he said. "I got to the line, I was confident and I knew the team was confident behind me. And it just felt good to watch those two go in."
After a Quincy timeout the Blue Devils evaded full-court pressure to get the ball over the timeline, but Santacaterina knocked it away from his man once then snatched it for keeps. Another Geneva timeout, a quick Quincy foul and Pace Temple's 2 free throws with .4 seconds left moved the Vikings' record to 22-2 on the season.
"The reason I'm out there really is because I play good defense and I hustle," said senior guard Santacaterina. "I was out there in the fourth quarter, in the last seconds, so I knew I needed to make a play and my guy was getting the ball. And I really didn't want him to get the ball."
Geneva improved to 3-2 in its annual game with Quincy (13-8). The Blue Devils are coached by Andy Douglas, Quincy Class of 2000 and a nephew of brothers Bruce and Dennis Douglas from Quincy's legendary 33-0 1981 Class AA state champions.
"Our program's philosophy is based on constant improvement," Andy Douglas said. "That's what we preach from the ground up, is each and every day you wake up and get out of bed you want to improve on the court and you want to improve in life.
"So I think we can take a lot from this game."
The score was tied 13-13 after a quarter and Quincy led 23-21 at halftime despite shooting just 8 of 26 from the floor. That's because Geneva went 7 of 21 against the Blue Devils' 1-2-2 zone defense.
"We were trying to run our zone sets and they blew up," said Geneva coach Phil Ralston. "Every time we were trying to run one we had one guy who wasn't doing the right thing. So we just said, throw that out the window and let's go be playmakers, and guys did."
Temple penetrated the zone then passed to Loudon Vollbrecht patrolling the baseline. The 6-foot-8, 305-pound junior scored 12 of his team-high 13 points in the second half.
Quincy withstood a 15-2 third-quarter Geneva run and entered the fourth trailing 36-29. Jobe and sophomore Parker Bland, who led all scorers with 14 points, headed an 18-point fourth quarter to pressure Geneva.
More pressure, Vollbrecht said, "than we need."
"The second half we definitely got more serious, locked down," he said. "We realized we had to make those shots."