Geneseo and UT win at Dixon

UT will play Dunlap on Wednesday, but Geneseo after winning their first round game will not play another large school until the championship vs. either UT or Dunlap.

On the first day of the Dixon Holiday Tournament, solid defensive performances helped determine the day's girls basketball winners. Geneseo and United Township rode those defenses to victories -- Geneseo a 42-41 win over Rockford Boylan and UT a 47-35 winner over Rochelle. - Geneseo 42, Rockford Boylan 41: After trailing 27-18 at halftime, the Maple Leafs defense was the key to the comeback victory. Geneseo's Jacque DeFauw and Kaci Storm locked up the Rockford offense allowing only 14 second half points. "The defense really helped spark that run in the third quarter,'' Geneseo coach Scott Hardison said. "We had a couple of steals and really shut down a couple of players." The Leafs' Devin Griffin took care of the offense, putting up 11 of her game high 19 points in the fourth quarter, and Kelsey Nystrom finished with 11 points hitting two 3-pointers. Geneseo is back in action this morning at 10:30 against Rockford Christian. - United Township 47, Rochelle 35: UT's defense stonewalled Rochelle in the second half as the Panthers pulled away on the strength of a 23-11 second-half swing. All eight players to see action for the Panthers put points on the scoreboard with freshman Taylor Dobrinskie leading the way with 9 points. Rochelle's Cassidy Ziech scored a game-high 16 points, yet the Panthers defense allowed her to score only once in the second half. The Panthers pick up action against Dunlap today at 1:30 p.m.