GENEVA—Geneva used a 21-11 third-quarter run to pull away from visiting Harvey and clinch a Division III sectional title on Saturday, 80-53.
The Eagles led 33-25 at halftime before getting hot to start the second half.
“Going into the half, we hit a couple of 3-pointers, and those are game-changers,” said Geneva head coach John Barbo. “We entered halftime feeling good about things, and when the third started shots fell. We kept pushing and sharing the ball. We shared the ball well this game, and that’s something we’ve been stressing all season. We’re better when we share the ball. We just got rolling in the third quarter and it was fun to watch.”
Dominick Snyder and Armani Hall opened the scoring for Harvey with back-to-back 3-pointers, then Caden Proy ignited for 11 first-quarter points, with seven more coming from running-mate Luke Barbo for a 19-15 lead after one.
Proy continued his solid opening half with six more points in the second stanza, but Deonte Ware kept the Red Raiders on pace with eight points, including two 3-pointers.
Noah Hicks added four more Geneva points for a 33-25 lead at the break.
Antonio Rivera caught fire with a pair of 3-pointers in the third, and Barbo found his rhythm again for nine points, plus six more from Proy for an 18-point lead into the fourth.
Geneva closed out the win with a 26-17 advantage in the final frame, capturing a sectional title.
Hayden Diemer knocked down a 3-pointer to go along with his seven points, Rivera and Barbo each added five in the final frame to cap off the win.
The two sides faced off just under a month ago on Jan. 27, with Harvey taking home a 78-71 win.
This time the Eagles walked away with a statement victory.
“We wanted another shot against them,” Proy said of the rematch. “We could have beat them (last time), we knew we could come back and do it (this time). It was great having a game in the playoffs you know you can win; it’s a great feeling.”
There’s an old saying that the last two minutes of the second quarter, and the first two minutes of the third quarter are difference-makers in any basketball game.
“We ended the second quarter, and started the third playing really well,” Barbo said. “When you’re making shots, everything seems better, and the fact of the matter is we started making some good shots. It was a great stretch for us.”
Proy posted a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting with seven boards, and three steals, while running-mate Barbo finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.
Rivera came off the bench with 11 points, while Diemer added 10 and seven rebounds.
Harvey finishes the campaign with a 6-17 record, losing only one senior to graduation.
“I got to give our senior Jaidyn Turner a lot of credit,” said Harvey head coach Eric Monty. “He played hard all season; he gave it his all in every game and practice. I was only here the last two years of his career but he’s a special kid and we’re going to miss him.”
The Red Raiders bring back varsity mainstays such as juniors Armani Hall, Chase Goines, and Deonte Ware to lead the team as seniors.
“We have a lot of talent coming back next year,” Monty said of his returners. “The main core is coming back, and we’re excited about the guys coming back. We talked in the locker room about the approach for this offseason of taking that talent and building upon it and going to the next level.”
There are plenty of building blocks for Harvey moving into coach Monty’s third year as the varsity coach.
“I hope this season motivates these guys,” he said. “This is not at all how we thought things would go but here we are. We’re going to review a lot of film and look for things to clean up.”
Ware led the Red Raiders with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Geneva will visit Saint Vincent-Saint Mary’s in a district semifinal on Feb. 26.
“I think somebody famous played there,” Barbo said jokingly. “We just have to get better at the things we’re doing right now. We have to know who we’re playing. They’re a very good team, but I feel like we’re a good team. Anything can happen on any given night, so we’re going to prepare like we’re going to win that game. Most of all we just want the kids to enjoy the experience. It’s tournament time, it’s supposed to be fun.”
