Geneva slips past Waubonsie Valley
Geneva’s collective heart as a basketball team goes way back.
“We’ve had that from when we were little kids,” said Vikings senior guard Mark Becker. “Since third grade is the earliest I can remember. Great team chemistry. I feel that’s why we win these types of games.”
Games like Geneva’s 57-56 Upstate Eight Conference crossover victory over Waubonsie Valley in overtime Friday in Aurora.
“This is our second overtime win against a real, real good, quality opponent. I think it speaks a lot about the mental toughness of our young men,” said Vikings coach Phil Ralston, citing an OT victory over Elgin on Dec. 2.
Becker’s 17 points led Geneva ahead of big Connor Chapman’s 13 and guard Brendan Leahy’s 12. Becker’s most valuable effort probably came on defense as the “1” in Geneva’s box-and-1 scheme on Waubonsie guard Jared Brownridge. The Warriors star junior managed 6 points through three quarters before catching fire for a team-high 16.
“We knew Brownridge was a great player coming in, can really shoot the ball,” Becker said. “So I just had to chase him around as best as I could and limit his shots and contest them when he gets them.”
Waubonsie Valley (6-3), which never led, rallied from a 42-32 deficit with 5 minutes, 8 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In the last four minutes the Warriors’ Brandon Malby scored inside and Brownridge and Josh DeHaan each made a pair of 3-pointers to send the game into overtime tied 48-48.
Geneva (4-4) took a 51-48 overtime lead on a Leahy 3 that was quickly answered by DeHaan from the right baseline. Becker scored on a give-and-go from Leahy, then Becker made a pair of free throws for a 55-51 lead. Waubonsie was unable to reclaim its 3-point marksmanship, and Ryan Willing’s 2 free throws with 36 seconds left gave Geneva the edge.
“We all played hard, it was just that we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities at the end, really,” said DeHaan, who joined Drew Warden each with 9 points for the Warriors. Bryan Jefferson scored 8 points including Waubonsie’s final 3 in overtime.
It was the early opportunities that bugged Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer, like 1-of-14 first-quarter shooting. Geneva forced a slower tempo to survive 25 turnovers and 23 Waubonsie Valley offensive rebounds, including 8 by the always active Malby, who scored 11 points before fouling out in overtime.
Friday wasn’t the first and won’t be the last time Brownridge gets strict attention from a defender such as Becker.
“We talked about it all season, that Jared’s going to get guarded hard, and we have to be tougher,” Weemer said. “Give Geneva a lot of credit. They played harder, they were the better team. And I (wrote) it on the board tonight, the team that plays the hardest is going to win. And they played harder than us.”