Geneseo won the tourney with wins over Streator (0-13), Class A Prairie Central (9-4), Sandburg (7-4), and Yorkville (7-4).
OTTAWA — The Geneseo girls' basketball team ran their winning streak to six games after a 49-42 victory over Yorkville in the championship game of the Ottawa Holiday Tournament on Thursday.
The Maple Leafs (11-2) led 17-13 at halftime before outscoring Yorkville 32-29 in the final 16 minutes.
"This is really good," Geneseo coach Scott Hardison said. "Like we talked about afterward, this is not where we peak. With that being said, it's always good to play good competition and get a win together as a team."
Facing a 1-2-2 halfcourt trap employed by the Foxes, Geneseo attacked it from the middle and were aggressive. Because of that, senior forward Devan Griffin scored a game-high 18 points.
Griffin was named the tournament's most valuable player.
"Unbelievable," Hardison said of Griffin. "She was our leader, she scored when we needed. She did everything we needed her to do."
Yet, this was a team win as much as anything. Senior guard Kaci Storm had 10 points, senior guard Kelsey Nystrom added eight and senior forward Kassi Anderson contributed six.
Hardison pointed to Nystrom's defense and improved guard play as a big plus for the Maple Leafs.
"With our guard play being inexperienced, any game we play like this gives us confidence," Hardison said. "Our guards are coming along. Nystrom shut down two unbelievable shooters the last two games."
The Maple Leafs have a short time to enjoy the tournament title. They open up play in the Dixon Holiday Tournament on Tuesday against Rockford Boylan at 3 p.m.
"Keep lining them up," Hardison said. "We want to play the best opponents over Christmas."
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