Geneseo runs past RI, falls to Sterling
The Geneseo High School girls’ basketball team went 1-1 in action this past week, nabbing a win in non-conference action, but falling in conference play.
Geneseo vs. Sterling
It was a defensive battle in Geneseo?Tuesday night Jan. 26 as Geneseo and Sterling held each other in the 30s, but when the final horn sounded it was Sterling who pulled out the win, 32-30.
“It just wasn’t our night, especially offensively,” said head coach Steve Brucher. “Some of it was Sterling and some of it was our inability to put the ball through the hoop.
“There are some nights where your offense won’t work and you hope your defense picks it up and it did last night.
“Defensively, we really forced Sterling to take outside shots and our interior defense did a good job stopping the drive penetration in the middle. It was a good effort.”
Sterling led 6-4 at the end of the first quarter, but the Lady Leafs outscored the Golden?Warriors, 6-3 in the second to take the 10-9 lead at the half.
The Golden Warriors regained control of the lead in the third quarter posting 14 points and holding Geneseo to seven for a 23-17 score.
Despite Geneseo scoring 13 points in the final minutes and holding Sterling to nine it just wasn’t enough as the Golden Warriors slid by with a two-point victory.
Devan Griffin led the charge for the Lady Leafs with a game-high 14 points as she knocked down seven shots from the field.
Allison Wiese added five points with a field goal and three shots from the free-throw line, followed by Jena Rice with four on two field goals.
Maggie Bergeson, Keatyn DeGrave and Allie Hudson rounded out the effort with two points apiece — Bergeson and DeGrave with a field goal and Hudson went 2-for-3 from the foul line.
Geneseo vs. Rock Island
An 11-0 run in the third quarter helped propel the Lady Leafs to a 43-27 win over visiting Rock Island Jan. 23.
“The key was our defense and that is one of the things we have done a good job of over the last two games,” said Brucher.
“Jena Rice has been doing a really good job for us defensively and is an anchor at the back end of our defense. She is doing a better job rebounding and is averaging double-digit rebounds. She is really becoming a much better defensive player.”
Geneseo led 10-6 at the end of the first quarter, but in the second quarter both squads scored eight points to make it a four-point ball game at the half, 18-14.
To start the third quarter, the Lady Leafs went on an 11-0 run and managed to extend its advantage to 33-17. Geneseo outscored Rock Island, 15-3 in the quarter. Both squads scored 10 points in the final minutes to give the Lady Leafs the win.
Griffin led the Lady Leafs with 16 points as she hit six field goals and went 4-for-5 from the foul line.
Hudson chipped in nine points with three field goals and three free throws, while DeGrave scored five on a field goal and three free throws.
Others contributing to the win were Bergeson and Rice with four points apiece, both with a field goal and two free throws; Wiese with three on a field goal and a free throw; and Kaci Storm, two points, going 2-for-2 from the line.
“Any time you lose a close game like that (against Sterling) you try to focus on the big picture,” said Brucher. “If we have a night that didn’t go our way we can’t dwell on it, we have to move on to the next game. Our girls have been very resilient and bounce back after a defeat and I expect them to do that.”
The Lady Leafs (18-5 overall and 5-3 in the NCIC) will be on the road this weekend in a 2:30 p.m. showdown with Alleman Jan. 30.