Batavia 54, Geneva 51

It turned out, it was no fluke.

The Batavia girls basketball team was able to top rival Geneva twice on consecutive Fridays.

The first time was in a Western Sun Conference game last Friday. The second time was at Oswego's Holiday Classic Friday, when the Bulldogs defeated the Vikings, 54-51.

It was exactly what the Bulldogs needed, as they dropped the first two games of the tournament and proved to themselves they could beat Geneva again. The win landed the Bulldogs in the third place game with another Western Sun Conference team, Yorkville. That game will be played at 4:30 p.m. today.

"It was very important (we won this game) because we were getting down on ourselves in practice," Batavia's Natalie Tarter said. "We were kind of in a slump, but now that we won, we are just really happy."

"I'm very proud of them for what they did, especially after the two games we had," Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker added after losing to Rosary and Minooka in the tournament. "We showed some guts today…these types of wins are big for us."

Geneva will play in the fifth place game against Glenbard East at 3 p.m. today. The Vikings, Batavia and Minooka all went 1-2 in this tournament, and the final placings were decided by free-throw percentage. The Bulldogs had the highest in the three games, followed by the Vikings and Minooka.

Batavia (9-2) used a big fourth quarter to beat the Vikings (11-3), who led by as much as 12 at the end of the third quarter.

The final quarter began with back-to-back baskets from Tarter and Melissa Norville. After Norville's basket, Geneva guard Emily Hinchman, who was already playing with a broken nose, went down with a left ankle injury and sat out the rest of the way. At that point, she had 12 points and 3 steals.

Following a basket from Geneva's Lauren Wicinski, Batavia went on an 8-0 run, led by 3 different players. A pair of Kara Lydon free throws gave the Bulldogs a 42-41 advantage with 4:34 left.

The teams traded baskets and the game was tied two more times before the Bulldogs captured the lead for good after a conventional 3-point play from Tarter, whose free throw allowed Batavia a 49-48 lead with 1:23 remaining.

Free throws from Tarter and Kelsey Oswald gave Batavia a 52-48 lead with 12.5 seconds remaining, but Wicinski's 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 1.9 mark reduced Batavia's lead to 52-51.

Geneva was forced to foul Lydon, who sank a pair of free throws with 0.5 left on the clock.

The Vikings had opportunities, but let their 36-24 lead slip away. They went on a 14-0 run, which began in the middle of the second quarter. The run ended on a bucket from Tarter at the 5:34 mark in the third. Tarter finished with a game-high 19 points. Oswald ended up with 11 points off the bench.

"We could have easily folded," DeBruycker added. "(But) my girls are not going to quit against Geneva."

"Regardless of anything, I'm so proud of the effort, the heart and the passion they played with tonight," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. "For me, that is more valuable than a win. If we can come out the rest of the season with the intensity and the passion and the heart we played with tonight, I like our chances."

For the Vikings, Taylor Whitley led the way with 18 points; Wicinski tallied 11.

Rosary 54, Minooka 46:ŒWhen the Rosary basketball team needed a hero to take over in the fourth quarter, the Royals turned to no one other than Victoria Alvarez.

Alvarez, a senior guard, scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the clutch, as the Royals topped Minooka, 54-46, in the third game of the Oswego Holiday Classic Friday.

"Someone had to take over because we were not playing well as a team," Rosary coach Dave Beebe said. "She really stepped up for us today…If she didn't pick it up for us, this may have been a different story. She led the charge for us."

"We were doing horrible on defense, so I just wanted to get the ball rolling," Alvarez added. "We really picked up the defense, and that really helped."

With their third win in the tournament, the Royals will be playing for the championship title against host Oswego at 6 p.m. tonight. This is the first time Rosary has put itself in this position in this tournament.

After a pair of early ties in the fourth quarter, Rosary (11-4) took the lead for good after a conventional 3-point play from Alvarez. Her basket when she was fouled with 6:23 remaining tied the game at 40, and the free throw pushed the Royals ahead.

Minooka was within striking distance, but the Royals kept the Indians at bay the rest of the way and finished the quarter outscoring them 18-8, including the final 5 points of the game.

With the exception of two ties, Rosary led the entire first half. It capped the half on a 7-0 run, led by Jordan Rettig's 5 points, for a 33-22 score at the break.

Rosary led 35-22 in the opening minute of the third, which was its biggest lead of the game, but Minooka followed that by going on a 13-0 run. The Indians held the Royals to just 3 points in the third quarter. They led just twice -- 36-35 after the run and 38-36 on a Jamie Selfridge bucket that capped a 16-point third frame.

"I would like to forget about the third quarter," Alvarez said. "Unfortunately, I can't. We didn't do well. We weren't working as a team. Nothing was going right."

Alvarez then began the fourth quarter with a game-tying basket. She also finished with 6 steals. Rettig ended up with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

Minooka will play in the seventh place game against Plainfield Central's JV team at 1:30 p.m. today.

-- Christine Bolin