On Senior Night 2010, the Lady Leafs honored their seven seniors in a big way Feb. 4 — with a convincing 53-36 victory over Streator and the team’s 20th win of the season.
“The best thing about that night was it was Senior Night and we got our 20th win,” said head coach Steve Brucher. “It is our goal at the beginning of the season and a bench mark to get 20 wins and to do it on Senior Night on our home floor is a nice accomplishment.”
After Streator posted early points, the Lady Leafs buckled down and took care of business.
Geneseo finished the first quarter with the 12-7 lead and then went up 18-9 at halftime. The Lady Leafs held Streator to only two points in the second quarter and scored six of their own.
“We had imposed our will on Streator a little bit,” said Brucher. “We got out to a slow start down 7-1 early, but after that we held them to only one basket. We really clamped down on defense, which was the key to getting a decent lead in the first half.”
The Lady Leafs came out after the break and drained 19 points, while Streator scored 12 to extend Geneseo’s advantage to 37-21. Geneseo hit another 16 points in the fourth quarter, while Streator scored 15 to secure the win.
Allie Hudson paced the Lady Leafs with 13, all in the second half, knocking down five shots from the field and going 3-for-4 from the foul line.
Devan Griffin added 12 points to the win with four field goals and four free throws, while Maggie Bergeson scored eight as she went 4-for-6 from the line and added two field goals.
“Allie really played well and had a nice game,” said Brucher. “Devan was consistent again. Maggie played well. She always plays well on defense and played better offensively. We have to encourage her to be more aggressive on offense. She did a nice job against Streator.”
Allison Wiese finished the game with five points on two field goals and a free throw, while Alli DeSmith and Keatyn DeGrave each scored four points — DeSmith hit 2-of-2 from the free-throw line and a field goal and DeGrave scored on two field goals.
Natalie Witter and Jena Rice each contributed three points — Witter with a three pointer and Rice a field goal and a free throw, followed by Nicole Adams with a free throw for her lone point of the game.
The Lady Leafs (20-6 overall and 7-3 in the NCIC) will host Dixon tonight at 6 p.m. and will begin IHSA regional action at 8 p.m. Feb. 16 against Galesburg in Galesburg.
“Dixon’s record is a little deceiving because they have some talented players and girls that can shoot the three-pointer,” said Brucher. “So we will have to identify where they are at all times.
“It is our last home game and I would think we will be ready to go. There should be a sense of urgency in getting ready for the postseason. It would be nice to have a little momentum going into regionals. We need to play well and improve from the free-throw line.”
Geneseo, Ill. —
