Lady Leafs place fifth

The Geneseo High School girls’ basketball team earned a fifth-place finish in the Ottawa Holiday Tournament last week due to a free throw percentage tiebreaker.

Geneseo vs. Seton Academy

The Lady Leafs capped off their final game of the Ottawa Holiday Tournament with a 43-30 victory over Seton?Academy Dec. 22.

“We came out a little flat against Seton, but regrouped,” said head coach Steve Brucher. “They have been very resilient this year and bounced back quickly.”

Taking the lead in the first quarter was Seton?Academy outshooting Geneseo, 16-10, but the Lady Leaf defense clamped down in the second quarter to hold Seton scoreless and scored nine of their own. Geneseo took the 19-16 advantage into halftime.

After the break, Geneseo notched another 11 points, while Seton scored eight for a 30-24 score at the end of the third. The Lady Leafs sealed the victory in the fourth quarter as Geneseo outscored Seton, 13-6.

Keatyn DeGrave paced the Lady Leafs with a season-high 15 points as she drained two shots from beyond the arc, three field goals and went 3-for-4 from the line.

Allison Wiese added nine points with three field goals and three free throws, while Maggie Bergeson finished with eight on three shots from the field and two free throws.

Devan Griffin contributed four points on a field goal and two free throws, while Allie Hudson had three points with a field goal and a free throw. Kaci Storm and Jena Rice each ended the game with two points, both with a field goal.

Geneseo vs. Ottawa

In their first of three meetings this season, the Lady Leafs narrowly escaped Ottawa Dec. 21 in the Ottawa Holiday Tournament, 38-37.

“It is a significant accomplishment to beat Ottawa on their home floor and it gave the girls a bit of confidence,” said Brucher. “I hope the girls learned we have a lot of balance and depth on the team when it comes to scoring. I hope it sends the message that they don’t have to be on every game and that there is always someone to pick up the slack.”

Geneseo took the early 10-7 lead in the first quarter and then were held to seven for the 17-10 advantage at halftime. The Lady Leaf defense allowed Ottawa only three points in the entire second quarter.

The Lady Pirates started to close the gap in the third quarter as the squad outscored the Lady Leafs, 13-10. Geneseo held on to a 27-23 lead at the start of the fourth.

In the final minutes of action, Ottawa posted 14 points to Geneseo’s 11 to come within one as time expired.

Six Lady Leaf players contributed to Geneseo’s win.

DeGrave led the team with 11 points as she knocked down three shots from beyond the arc and a field goal.

Natalie Witter added nine points as she hit two three pointers, one field goal and one free throw, while Griffin drained three shots from the field and a free throw for her seven points.

Hudson finished the game with five points on two field goals and one free throw, followed by Rice with four on two field goals and Wiese, two with two free throws.

“As a whole I am pleased with the performance (at the tournament),” said Brucher. “We won 3-of-4 of our games and got to see some different teams which exposed us to a variety of basketball. It was a good experience and overall there were several positives.”

The Lady Leafs (11-2 overall) will be back in action at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 on the road against Streator.