Geneva’s Jack McDonald spent most of Friday night wowing the home crowd with his flashy shooting.
But the junior point guard scored his most important points for the Vikings from the free-throw line in the final minutes of a 71-62 Upstate Eight River victory over Batavia.
McDonald hit layups and runners with both hands, scored on reverses and even flung a shot through the basket while flying out of bounds for Geneva (15-7, 5-2). He also had five assists.
He shot 9-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter, including four straight in the final minute. He scored a career-high 32 points, topping his 31-point performance Dec. 5 against Streamwood.
McDonald’s “showtime” was a result of hard work in practice.
“Around the hoop, I’m not the tallest kid, so you really have to have different finishes for how the defense is playing you,” McDonald said. “A lot of times, I’m in the gym practicing these kind of shots.
“In a game like this, you have to make them and it helps a lot.”
The game became a free-throw contest in the final 3:34, with Geneva outscoring Batavia 20-10 from the line.
“It’s different, it’s sort of weird,” McDonald said. “There’s a thousand people in there and it’s just quiet because it’s free throws, free throws, free throws. You just have to make them.
“In that situation, a close tough game, you just have to hit your free throws.”
Geneva avenged a three-point loss at Batavia earlier in the season in winning for the fifth time in the last six games. The Bulldogs (18-5, 5-3) have lost two in a row following an eight-game winning streak.
McDonald scored 15 points in the fourth and went 14-for-16 from the line in the second half. His left-handed layup with 3:53 left to play in the game gave the Vikings a 51-35 lead.
Batavia then stormed back with a 21-11 burst, including 10 free throws. That helped the Bulldogs to pull to within 62-56 with 57 seconds left.
Kyle LeFevre scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for Batavia, but Geneva held on behind McDonald, and four free throws by Mitch Mascari in the final 32 seconds. Mascari finished with 20 points.
Eric Peterson and Jayden Johnson added 15 points each for Batavia.
Geneva coach Scott Hennig had nothing but praise for McDonald.
“He’s our warrior,” Hennig said. “He’s a two-year starter, he’s a pass-first point guard, and he’s a great scorer, too. I thought Jack did a good job of getting in the lane and distributing the ball.”
Bob Hurst is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.