Geneva ready for Benet at the start
No need for Gina Nolan to channel her inner Knute Rockne for a motivational halftime speech this time.
A night after a dreadful offensive first half against Wheaton Warrenville South, the No. 2 Vikings led from start to finish in beating No. 14 Benet 65-46 at the Naperville North/Benet Holiday Tournament in Lisle.
Geneva (11-0) jumped out to a 10-0 lead over the first two minutes and change. The margin never dipped below 7 the rest of the way.
"We started off really slow yesterday," Geneva's Lauren Wicinski said, "and we knew we didn't want that to happen again. Right after last night's game we said, 'We're starting strong tomorrow.' We were really working together well tonight."
Geneva, who scored just 12 points in the first half againt WW South, cashed in on five of its first six possessions. Ashley Santos hit a jumper, Sammy Scofield a 3-pointer and Kelsey Augustine a jumper. An Augustine stickback and Wicinski free throw made it 10-0.
On the flip side Benet turned the ball over on four of its first six trips down the floor. Geneva led 22-11 after a quarter and nursed the advantage the rest of the game.
"We shot well coming out of the gate tonight, which was nice to see," Nolan said. "Benet's a good team. They didn't upset Hinsdale Central for nothing. No lead really felt comfortable."
Wicinski had 18 points and 16 rebounds for Geneva, the 6-foot-1 senior leading a commanding 45-22 Vikings edge on the boards. Benet's tallest starter stands 5-11.
"She was everywhere tonight," Nolan said, "and finished really well for us. I knew we'd have that height advantage. Lauren really showed what she can do."
Nikki Bell scored 19 points for Benet (8-5), her score midway through the first quarter pulling the Redwings within 13-6. But Benet as a team shot just 3 of 17 from 3-point range. Numbers like that don't add up to upset.
"To beat that game we gotta be firing on all cylinders," Benet coach Peter Paul said, "and today we just weren't. We were there but we weren't really there. At least we didn't quit. We tried to make it a game."
Scofield scored 12 points, Kat Yelle 11 and Santos 10 for Geneva. Danielle Canulli and Sidney Prasse each had 7 points for Benet.