Naperville North wins Hoops for Healing championship
Geneva coach Phil Ralston called Naperville North "a very resilient team." The Huskies had to be to hold off the Vikings in Friday's Hoops for Healing Tournament championship game at Oswego.
Naperville North scored the game's first 11 points and never let Geneva get closer again than 4, going home with a 63-57 victory and a first-place trophy.
"Every time we threw something at them and got it to 6 or got it to 4, they did something back to us that we should have been prepared for, we just weren't, whatever the reasons," Ralston said.
The Huskies (4-0) were impressed with the Vikings (3-1) also.
"They're a good team," said Huskies forward and tournament MVP James O'Shaughnessy. "And they were tough in the post, which was surprising for us. They did a good job rebounding. That was our halftime speech, to get the boards. We struggled with that the whole game."
Geneva struggled to overcome its early deficit, in part because the Huskies made 20 of 27 shots at the free-throw line and 20 of 29 from the floor.
"We knew if they got the lead they'd run their stall offense, and we didn't want to chase them around, so that was perfect for us," Huskies coach Jeff Powers said.
Down the stretch, when Geneva made one last push, the Huskies turned to sophomore guard Chris McGee. He scored 8 of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, including 6-of-6 shooting at the free-throw line.
"Our little point guard Chris McGee, a sophomore, was pretty awesome at the end of the game," Powers said. "He took control of the ball, made some free throws, broke them down and was terrific."
McGee and Matt Hasse tied for the Huskies' scoring lead at 10, with senior guard Matt Bushman adding 9 points, 5 steals and 4 assists.
"Matt Bushman did a nice job," Powers added.
It was the kind of balanced attack the Huskies are enjoying this season.
"Throughout these first four games we've been very balanced on our shooting," Powers said. "The kids have been very, very unselfish, and they're reaping the rewards by getting a trophy today."
Geneva's effort earned it the second-place trophy.
"We just kept fighting the whole time, we never gave up," said Scott Wendt, who led the Vikings with 23 points. "They're a big team. They've got big guys. They go nine, 10, 11 deep. We don't go that deep, but we just keep working hard."
The Huskies had a significant height advantage, with the 6-foot-9 Hasse, and 6-6 Matt LaCosse and Joe McNicholas and the 6-4 O'Shaughnessy.
"We did the best we could against their height," Ralston said. "We put as much ball pressure as you can on them, which is tough because they've got quick guards and they can all shoot. And you try to match their physical intensity in the post.
"That Hasse kid, holy moly. That kid is just tough to defend in the post. Of course there were times when we let him catch it where he wanted it, he'd duck into the paint and we're done."