CHARDON–Geneva snapped a two-game skid the last time it took the floor, and on Saturday, the Eagles added to their surge with a 56-50 nonconference win at Chardon.
The Eagles fended off the Hilltoppers down the stretch, leaning on their identity to close out the victory.
“We kept going back to what we represent as a team,” said Geneva head coach Connor Zimmer. “In timeouts, we didn’t talk about the Xs and Os; we talked about what we as a culture and unit were doing wrong. We figured those things out, we kept working on them, and then got the win.”
Caden Proy set the tone early by converting an and-one, but Chardon answered quickly with an AJ Petrella coast-to-coast finish and an Andrew Cole jumper.
Geneva responded with an Antonio Rivera 3-pointer to tie the game at 6-6, before Luke Galfidi put the Hilltoppers back in front. The Eagles closed the opening quarter on a 6-2 run, highlighted by Noah Hicks cleaning up the offensive glass and a Bryce Peet 3-pointer that gave Geneva a 12-11 edge after one.
The momentum carried into the second quarter. Nate Csiszar knocked down a 3-pointer, Rivera followed with a catch-and-shoot triple, and Dylan Schaef finished in transition as the Eagles built a 22-13 lead. Rivera and Proy added putbacks late in the half, sending Geneva into the break up 29-19.
Proy opened the third quarter with another and-one to push the lead to double digits, but Chardon made its move. Luke Evans buried a 3-pointer, Galfidi hit a pull-up jumper, and Rocco Tarantino finished a left-handed scoop to cut the deficit to 35-30. Peet answered with a triple, but the Hilltoppers kept coming.
Tarantino converted an and-one, Galfidi added a steal-and-score, and Tarantino followed a Tim Robinson block with a 3-pointer to trim what had been a double-digit gap to 39-38. Csiszar steadied the Eagles late in the quarter with a cut to the basket and two free throws, giving Geneva a 43-38 lead heading into the fourth.
Tarantino opened the final period with another 3-pointer, Proy countered with a reverse layup, Galfidi scored on a follow, and Peet finished a straight-line drive to make it 47-43 Geneva. Proy continued to attack off the dribble, then found Csiszar for a late 3-pointer that helped seal the win.
The victory marked Geneva’s second straight after losses to Lakeside and Riverside, following a win over Pymatuning Valley earlier in the week.
“We just don’t let anything get in our way. When we have bad stretches, we move on to the next thing,” Zimmer said. “We’re going to celebrate this win tonight, but then we forget about it and move on to the next. These guys do a good job of recognizing obstacles in the road, knowing how to get around them, and getting back on the road and keep going the right way.”
Proy led all scorers with 20 points, while Rivera added 11 points with three 3-pointers. Csiszar finished with 10 points, including two triples, and Peet chipped in eight.
Geneva improved to 5-3 and will continue conference play on Jan. 6 when it hosts rival Madison.
