BOB ETTINGER
Milestones are there to be claimed for the Geneva girls basketball team.
The Eagles are looking for the first district tournament win in program history. They are also looking to win game number 200 under coach Nancy Barbo.
And that’s what makes tonight’s Division II district semifinal matchup with Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin different from any other game the Eagles have played this season.
“We’ve talked about what makes this game significant for us,” Barbo, 199-106 (.652) in her 14-season career, said. “Sometimes, you do need to talk about those things so (the players) understand what they’re playing for. It’s not just like every game we’ve played during the season. There’s a lot riding on this.”
The top-seeded Eagles (17-4) and eighth-seeded Lions (11-11) will tip off at 6 p.m. in the first of two district semifinals at Pymatuning Valley. Sixth-seeded Lake Catholic (12-10) and fifth-seeded Kenston (14-7) will battle at 7:30.
The winners will play for a district championship Saturday at 2 p.m.
To advance, Geneva will have to take care of the basketball. The Lions will look to pressure the Eagles all the way down the court, trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Geneva senior posts Taylor Webb and Natalie Stanley.
“We want to stop their bigs,” NDCL coach Rick Rucinski said. “We want to keep their bigs off the glass. (Webb) is the best big player I’ve seen all year. They’re a very talented team. They’re very well-coached. It’s going to be a test for us. We’re playing well at the right time of the year. The kids are focused.
“(Pressuring teams) is what we do. It’s what we’re known for. We don’t have anybody that’s 6-feet tall like they do. It’s no secret we want to play the full-court press and cause havoc.”
And the Eagles know they will have to keep from making mistakes against that full-court pressure.
“We’ve been talking about that all week,” Barbo said. “We’ve tried to simulate it in practice, the press, and how to handle it best. I have confidence in (my girls). Hopefully, we’ll be all right.”
After beating the press, Geneva will look to get into a regular offensive set, rather taking a quick bucket and heading back down the floor.
“We don’t want a lot of quick trips in a row,” Barbo said. “If we have a layup (in transition), we’ll take that. But we need to recognize each possession and slow down when we need to and get it to the people who have been our big contributors in the scoring department.”
And those players would be Webb (15.6 points per game), Stanley (11.8) and senior guard Courtney Thompson (8.5).
But hurrying up the floor, either after beating the press or forcing a turnover, then slowing down and running an offense is not going to be easy for the Eagles.
“It’s going to take a lot of discipline, for sure,” Barbo said. “I’ve said in practice that I don’t want to make this game a track meet. We’ve seen how they play. We want to make sure we play our game. At times, we may run. But also, we’ve been known to slow it down.”
But it’s something they must do and do well. In a sectional semifinal, Conneaut showed it could hurt the Lions by getting the ball inside. Senior Post Nichele Johnson scored 23 points — without a second scoring threat in the paint. It should stand to reason that a pair of scoring threats inside, like Webb and Stanley, should be able to do some serious damage.
“It’s what we’re hoping for,” Barbo said. “We know each team’s weaknesses. But they have a week to prepare. Maybe they’ll do different things that maybe they haven’t done all season. Sure, going in we’ll have a good gameplan, but nothing’s going to come easy.”
Rucinski thinks the Lions can stop the Eagles’ twin towers.
“We’ve done it against teams as big inside as Geneva, but we play Hoban, Lake Catholic, Holy Name and Trinity. We’re not playing the Ladies of the Poor. These kids know how to go out and match intensity.
“Geneva is very talented. They’re much better than the teams we’ve played (so far in the tournament). No disrespect to Conneaut and West Geauga, but we’re used to playing that kind of team.”
The Eagles will also pressure the Lions defensively.
“We’re ready,” Rucinski said. “Everybody runs the diamond press. We’ve seen every kind of press everyone can throw at us. Geneva is disciplined. We have to be under control and be disciplined. Geneva runs the press harder and with more intensity than most.
“We’ve beat the No. 2 (Conneaut) and 7 (West Geauga) seeds, but No. 1 (Geneva) is better than those two put together.”
Starting for the Eagles will be Thompson (2.4 steals per game, 60.0 percent from the free line and 23 total 3-pointers made), senior guards Jillian Nazor (2.5 assists, 2.3 steals, 9 3-pointers) and Carly Cash (3.2 assists, 18 3-pointers), Webb (15.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.8 steals, 65.6 FT pct.) and Stanley (8.7 rebounds, 61.9 FT pct.).
Off the bench for the Eagles will be sophomore guard Audra Puckrin (2.3 assists, 2.0 steals), junior forward Ashley Meaney, senior guard Suelen Gutierrez, junior guard Courtney Johnson, freshman post Natalie Thomas, sophomore post Ashli Per Due and freshman guard Becky Depp.
The Lions will start senior guards Katie Dolesh (12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 5.6 steals per game), Samantha Krebs (7.5 points, 3.6 steals) and Bridget Koenig, junior guard Lindsay Hammer (10.4 points, 4.6 assists) and senior forward Anna Powell (7.5 rebounds).
Coming off the bench for NDCL will be senior center Mary Wojtila, junior center Mary McDonnell, sophomore guards Tory Barrett, Shannon Evans, Erin Ruff and Catherine Hyland.
