Hudson Kirby’s big night leads Geneva past Wheaton North

GENEVA - It seemed like whatever defense Wheaton North coach Dave Brackmann tried to employ on Geneva center Hudson Kirby it didn’t work.

The Division II Wisconsin-Parkside recruit ripped his way through the Falcons’ defense for 28 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

Kirby’s effort helped propel the Vikings to a 64-55 win over the visiting Falcons in DuKane Conference action in Geneva on Friday night.

Geneva’s senior center also connected on 10-of-11 from the free throw line.

“He is a very good player who is hard to guard,” Brackmann said. “He is a great finisher.“

With Ben Peterson scoring seven points, including a 3-pointer, and Kirby chipping in six, the Vikings (15-2, 6-0) jumped to a 14-4 lead after one quarter.

Kirby’s layup off a pass from Gabe Jensen gave the Vikings a 22-8 lead with 4:22 left before intermission.

A driving layup by Nelson Wendell right before the half gave the hosts a 31-16 advantage at halftime.

“My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball in great position to score,” Kirby said. “They hit some 3s and spread out the floor, which really gave me some space. We were ready. It was a big Friday night home game.“

The Falcons whittled away at the Geneva lead and eventually got within 60-55 with 1:22 left on a 3-pointer from William Channing.

The visitors couldn’t get any closer.

Jensen converted on 4 of 4 from the free throw line to seal the win for the Vikings in the final 30 seconds.

“We hung in there and played hard,” Brackmann said. “Our M.O. the last few games has been getting off to a bad start and you can’t do that in this league.”

The Vikings, hindered by 23 turnovers, got 11 points from Peterson and 10 from Jack Hattan, including 7 of 7 from the free throw line.

“Our passing has to get better and that is on me,” Geneva coach Scott Hennig said. “It has been an issue all season. We got off to a good start. We did a good job of attacking the ball press. Hudson has been great all season. He came out aggressive.”

Henry Schlickman paced Wheaton North (7-8, 2-4) with 13 points, including three 3-pointers and a trey to beat the buzzer in the third quarter. Matt Beamer added 12 points and Cal McKay scored 10.

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