It was another night, another win and another hero stepping up for unbeaten Geneva.
Sophomore guard Mitch Mascari shot 6-for-9 on 3-pointers and scored a career high 20 points Friday. It helped power the Vikings to a 66-38 Upstate Eight River rout of Streamwood.
The 6-foot-3 Mascari, who grew three inches in the offseason, has smoothly made the jump from freshman team to varsity starter.
“It’s been a different kid every game that will rise to the occasion and Mitch was it (Friday),” Geneva coach Phil Ralston said. “He was just unconscious, hitting shots left and right.”
Geneva set the tone early, jumping to a 9-0 lead. Senior guard Matt Johnston sliced to the basket off the dribble from the left wing and made a layup. Senior forward Cole Navigato capped a fastbreak off a defensive rebound with another layup.
Mascari made his first 3-pointer from the right wing and Johnston drove into the lane, stopped and hit a short jumper. More than four minutes passed before Streamwood (5-16, 0-6) finally scored.
Mascari converted a pair of free throws in the first quarter, connected on a pair of 3-pointers in each of the second and third quarters, and then added another in the fourth quarter.
It meant Geneva (21-0, 6-0) was well on its way to a 21st straight victory.
“The last three (3-pointers) he took were not ones we would normally say, ‘Hey, green light,'” Ralston said. “‘He told me, ‘Coach, I was feeling it.’ What am I gonna tell him, no?”
Not this night. At least two of them would have been behind the NBA’s 3-point line.
“When I’m feeling it, I’m shooting it when I get the ball,” Mascari said. “I was just trying to get my feet set. I’ve always been a pretty strong outside shooter, but if someone is guarding me close, I can drive.”
Geneva kept the inside attack going, too. Twice in the first half, Johnston scored on dunks, one off a steal and the other off a drive from the side of the lane.
In the second half, Cole Navigato added two more dunks, both off steals.
Cole Navigato had 13 points, Johnston added eight and freshman reserve Nate Santos seven. Dom Navigato had 10 rebounds to lead the Vikings to a 29-19 advantage.
“(Mascari) brings great positive energy,” Ralston said. “He helps stretch things out for us, offensively. He brings good energy defensively, too. He’s pretty athletic and can come off a ball screen either way.
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“There’s a lot of good things happening around that young man.”
Twitter @RickArmstrong28