Diamond, Geneva stun WW South in final seconds
Tommy Diamond was waiting for his moment.
That moment took until 22 seconds remained in regulation for the Geneva junior to arrive at, and a whole lot more in the sequence for the Vikings to pull off a stunning 31-28 victory over three-time reigning DuKane Conference champion Wheaton Warrenville South in Wednesday's Class 4A Bartlett sectional semifinal.
The Vikings' comeback began with 54 seconds left and the Tigers leading 28-27. WW South guard Jake Vozza attempted to rifle in a pass to Braylen Meredith at the top of the key, but Vikings guard Jimmy Rasmussen was able to sneak in his left hand and ultimately force a foul on the floor.
On the ensuing Vikings inbound, Geneva guard Mick Lawrence (13 points, three rebounds) slipped through a pick set by Jack Hatton on the far left top of the 3-point arc. Diamond saw his opening with a Lawrence bullet pass to split defenders and hit a go-ahead layup for the fragile 29-28 Vikings lead.
"I was waiting for that all game," said Diamond who finished with eight points and four rebounds. "I was sitting at the block. I knew I was getting the ball, so it made it pretty easy. They just got it to me, and I laid it in."
The Tigers quickly regrouped for a chance to retake the lead.
Tigers sophomore Luca Carbonaro drove through the paint and kicked it back to a waiting Vozza (six points, three rebounds) at the top of the key, but upon taking control of the bounce pass, he was whistled for a travel with 13.9 seconds left.
On the ensuing Vikings inbounds just shy of half-court, Rasmussen fed the ball into Diamond, who skipped it up to KJ McNeive up the left sideline. McNeive found Hatton (five points, two rebounds) all alone under the basket for the game-clinching layup with nine seconds left.
"We call him an old soul," Lawrence said on Hatton. "He's a young guy, but he really knows what he's doing, so we've taught him the ropes, and he's done really good growing into his role."
Meredith's desperation 3-pointer fell short, and the Tigers were unable to get a clean shot off in time to save their season.
Geneva now faces Benet for the sectional final on Friday at 7 p.m. Geneva last won a sectional title in 2019.
"[Rasmussen] was playing good defense the whole game," Lawrence said. "There was actually another one [earlier in the fourth quarter] where we needed a stop and he came up with it. Him and KJ were just dogging on the defensive end the whole time, and that's what makes us us. We don't give up.
"We play physical and we don't quit."
"Just so proud of the defense," Vikings coach Scott Hennig said. "We had guys sick. I'm a little sick. It's been a crazy couple weeks, but Wheaton South, they've been the best in our league for three years, so to beat them in the sectional, credit to our kids. I'm so happy for them."
Geneva (25-9) fell to WW South (27-6) both times in the regular season. At one point in late January, both programs were jockeying for control of the conference. The Tigers were fresh off a campaign a year ago where it took on eventual 4A champion Glenbard West in the sectional final and won 29 games.
"I told them that this game doesn't define them," WW South coach Mike Healy said. "Nobody gave us much of a chance, after last year, to do what they've done. We talked about accepting the responsibility of being a Tiger basketball player, and they absolutely did.
"I know that we would've loved to play a little bit better down the stretch, but we didn't. That's part of high school basketball. Credit to Scott and his kids, but I wouldn't trade our kids for anyone in the world. They have far exceeded all the naysayers and everybody that doesn't like the way we do things. You see the tears in there; the genuine hugs and the genuine friendships and relationships, they did it the right way."
The Vikings, on the other hand, just finished conference play on a five-game losing streak. It took a buzzer-beater by Rasmussen in the regional final to reach the semifinals.
In the third quarter on Wednesday, the Vikings went scoreless until Lawrence's 3-pointer with 1:27 remaining in the frame to break a 10-0 Tigers run and a 1-for-6 team streak from the floor. Diamond's layup with two seconds left put the Vikings within 26-23 entering the final eight minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Vozza opened with a layup, which was countered by Tanner Dixon's two free throws with 7:16 left to make it 28-25 Tigers. Vozza then missed two free throws, which was the beginning of both programs going scoreless for nearly five minutes before Lawrence's floater to pull within one.
Somehow, the Vikings stood firm - through everything.
"We were waiting for this one," Diamond said. "After we lost to them a second time, we [wanted to play them again]. We just stuck together the whole time getting through the five losses. We were getting pretty beat up and sick, but we came back when it mattered in the postseason, and we got it done."