DeKalb slows down Geneva, but still can't beat them

One play in the opening minute of the fourth quarter summed up why the Geneva girls basketball team left DeKalb Friday night with a perfect 8-0 record intact.

Even though they trailed by double digits most of the first three quarters, the host Barbs found themselves within a basket of trimming Geneva's 29-21 lead to six points with plenty of time left.

But Geneva standout Taylor Whitley corralled a missed shot and dribbled the length of the floor to convert a driving layup, draw a foul and add a free throw.

The three-point play pulled Geneva out of any danger and the Vikings sank 8 of 9 free throws down the stretch to notch a 44-36 Western Sun Conference victory.

Whitley led the charge with 21 points, while Lauren Wicinski added 7. Kat Yelle put down all six of her free throws in the fourth quarter to keep DeKalb at bay.

The Barbs, who trailed 19-7 at halftime and showed no inside scoring threat, came to life behind forward Emily Murphy, who tallied a team-high 17 points, all in the second half.

"DeKalb played really good defense and kept us out of an offensive flow most of the night," said Geneva coach Gina Nolan after watching her team improve to 4-0 in conference.

"But we played real good defense, too, and held them to 7 points in the first half. That was a good accomplishment, right there. This is always a tough place to play because the crowd is always loud."

Whitley fueled the first-half charge by scoring 12 of Geneva's 19 points, but was held to only 2 points in the third quarter. She followed up her coast-to-coast three-point play at the start of the fourth quarter with a steal and layup. After Sam Dudman drilled a short jump shot, Geneva was up 38-23.

DeKalb (1-2, 5-4) got within six points with 10 seconds left on a three-pointer by Murphy, but it was Whitley again who slammed the door with two free throws.