Geneva hangs on vs. St. Charles East, stays perfect in DuKane
It may have been a bit unconventional, but Geneva’s girls basketball team did it what it had to Saturday afternoon in St. Charles.
Behind a barrage of 3-point baskets, the Vikings (12-5, 6-0) kept their unbeaten DuKane Conference record intact with a hard-fought, 58-49 victory over host St. Charles East (12-6, 3-3).
Senior guard/forward Leah Palmer led the Vikings with 26 points, including 5 of the team’s 13 3-point baskets, while junior guard Peri Sweeney added 13 points and senior guard Caroline Madden chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“Leah always shows up and plays solid for us,” said Vikings coach Sarah Meadows. “Peri hit some big threes as well.
“We’ll take it because this (St. Charles East) is a tough team. They’re physical and apply a lot of pressure.”
Geneva never trailed but was unable to distance itself from the Saints until the final minute.
St. Charles East forged a pair of ties in the first half — at 16-16 on a Corinne Reed layup, and again at 19-19 on a free throw from Alyse Price (6 points, 7 rebounds).
The Vikings ended the half with a late surge that included Palmer’s deep 3-pointer from the top of the key and her buzzer-beating, right-handed baseline shot that made it 27-22.
Madden, Palmer, and Sweeney drained 3-pointers early in the third quarter, as the Vikings grabbed a double-digit lead at 36-25. Sweeney finished with four 3-pointers.
Once again, the Saints answered back, as Price’s 3-point play and sophomore Addie Schilb’s layup cut the deficit to 36-32 late in the third quarter.
“They had two nice pushes,” Meadows said of the Saints. “We were right there to open it up and they fought back.”
Led by senior guard Alexis Maridis (team-high 15 points), the Saints made it a 1-possession game at 47-44 with 2:30 remaining.
Geneva countered with sophomore Keira McCann’s cold-blooded, 3-pointer from the corner to extend the margin to 50-44 with 1:32 left. Madden iced it with 4 consecutive free throws, while Hope Ieler added a blocked shot down the stretch.
“Keira hit that huge shot from the corner – she didn’t hesitate either,” said Meadows, whose team finished with just a pair of 2-point baskets while connecting on 15 of 18 free-throw attempts.
“I liked their fight. Hope (Ieler) is undersized, and she’s getting tips and rebounds. The effort out of her was a huge difference-maker inside.”
Senior guard Lexi DiOrio added 11 points for the Saints, while Schilb and Reed chipped in with 8 and 7 points, respectively.
“Keira’s 3-pointer was the dagger,” said Saints coach Katie Claussner. “We still had a chance but too many turnovers and not enough stops off their second-chance boards.
“Offensively, we can score on anyone on any given night. Defensively, we’ve got to get those big-time stops. A lot of their shots came off second-chance rebounds. We must box out if we want to win big games like this.”
It was a reunion of sorts between the head coaches, as Claussner served as the Vikings’ sophomore coach last season.
“I respect Geneva and Sarah’s program – they always find a way to fight and a way to win,” said Claussner. “That’s from her. That’s what I learned when I was there last year.
“We’re building something here – brick by brick. We’re getting there.”