Geneva downs Glenbard West to win tourney title

Is it the charmed life of being an undefeated basketball team?

How else would one account for the fact that the Geneva girls' basketball team missed 12 shots and had five turnovers in the first quarter of the Benet/Naperville North Holiday Tournament title game Tuesday night against Glenbard West while standout center Lauren Wicinski sat with foul trouble - yet the Vikings still led?

Or is it just that the precision passing and excellent shot selection on offense and the quick hands on defense that Geneva consistently displays will normally prevail?

That formula worked fine once again for Geneva, leading to another impressive beat down of an opponent in securing the tournament title with a 68-41 victory over the Hilltoppers.

Wicinski overcame her early problems to tally a game-high 21 points, while Kat Yelle chipped in with 18 points as Geneva (14-0) completed a five-game sweep in tournament play.

"I was stupid and got three fouls right off the bat," said Wicinski, who sat out much of a first quarter that Geneva finished with a 10-6 lead. "I knew I had to work hard to keep working with the team and get us back in it."

Wicinski, Yelle and Ashley Santos (14 points) each scored two baskets in the second quarter to lift Geneva to a 23-15 halftime lead, but Glenbard West cut the margin to 28-22 on a 3-point basket by Abby White (team-high 17 points) early in the third quarter.

After Geneva called a timeout, the Vikings came out with the afterburners on and rattled off a 16-2 run, fueled mostly by steals that resulted in fastbreak layups.

"Steals are like a key for us, and that is where we get a lot of our points," Yelle said. "We all are good at looking up the floor (after a steal)."

Geneva coach Gina Nolan didn't have any magical advice for her team during the timeout that turned the game around. But what she did say was effective.

"At first they (the Hilltoppers) were making all of their shots in the paint, and then they were making outside shots, so we went back to our first plan and went full-court man-to-man," Nolan said. "We got some energy and some steals off of that and converted, and it gave us the separation we needed."

The steals were important for Geneva because Glenbard West (10-7) was making nearly every shot it took in the second half, but the Hilltoppers didn't get near enough attempts.

"Geneva is a tough ballclub," Glenbard West coach Mike Hofland said. "I think early on, we missed a couple of easy shots and made some poor decisions with the basketball. If we don't do those, I think we are tied or in the lead at halftime.

"Geneva just played solid basketball and that's what we're trying to get to," Hofland added. "They are very talented and very unselfish. I enjoy watching them play and I just wish we could have given them a better game."

Geneva never trailed in the game and outscored Glenbard West 45-26 in the second half. The Vikings shot 50 percent from the floor in making 27 of 54 shots, and Glenbard West sank 16 of 35 for 45 percent.

But the Hilltoppers made 9 of 13 shots in the second half, and didn't miss from the field until midway through the fourth quarter. But they were plagued by 11 turnovers and had four shots blocked by Geneva.