Girls basketball: Leah Palmer’s big 1st half leads Geneva to Class 4A regional title

GLEN ELLYN – Glenbard West had the homecourt advantage in the Class 4A Glenbard West Regional final against Geneva.

What Glenbard West didn’t have was Leah Palmer and that was made abundantly clear early and often Feb. 15.

Palmer put the Vikings on her back and carried them to a 45-32 victory over the Hilltoppers.

Geneva advanced to play St. Charles North in the Batavia Sectional semifinal Tuesday. The Vikings and North Stars split two DuKane Conference games this season.

“We weren’t hitting our shots in the first half,” Palmer said of the game against Glenbard West. “So I knew that it was important that I stepped up while I wait for us to make our shots. Once we start hitting our shots, then that’s when it all starts coming together.”

Geneva (22-8) needed Palmer quickly. Glenbard West (26-7) hit three early 3-pointers. Palmer seized control right back by scoring 18 of her 21 points in the first half.

The rest of the Vikings clamped down on defense. At halftime, Palmer had more field goals (six) than the entire Hilltoppers team (four).

With Glenbard West starting to watch Palmer more closely, the second half was all about getting other Vikings involved in the scoring. The Vikings’ defense also continued to hold serve. Thanks largely to outscoring Glenbard West 14-4 in the third quarter, Geneva ultimately got its lead up to 20 points.

The Vikings’ Keira McCann scored seven points after halftime.

Palmer led Geneva with an equal number of field goals and free throws (seven apiece).

“She does a lot for us,” Vikings coach Sarah Meadows said. “And she wants to do a lot for us. She’s just a really, really, really good basketball player and I’m really proud of her. We’ve had her since her freshman year, so it’s awesome.”

Despite an insurmountable deficit in the fourth quarter, Glenbard West didn’t go down without a fight. Over the final 6:07, the Hilltoppers outscored the Vikings 12-5. The late run began with eight unanswered points.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said. “We had a great season and they fought every game, every possession. They never let down and gave up and they always showed a lot of heart and grit the whole season.”

Mya Austin scored seven points for Glenbard West, including the only two field goals the Hilltoppers made in the second and third quarters.

Makenna Yeager knocked down one of the Hilltoppers’ first-quarter 3-pointers and made four free throws in the final three quarters to tie Austin for the team lead with seven points.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240215/girls-basketball/palmers-hot-1st-half-helps-geneva-top-glenbard-west/