Lelanie Posada has never been afraid to take the big shot.

The St. Charles North junior guard proved it in the first quarter of a conference matchup against Geneva, sinking a shot at the buzzer that was initially ruled a 3-pointer, but changed to a 2-pointer.

So when she got a chance to do it again with just three seconds remaining in the first half, she left no doubt of the shot being a triple.

By pulling up right by the center court logo.

“It definitely boosted everybody’s confidence,” Posada said. “Everyone was just ready to go after that.”

Posada’s buzzer-beater at the half gave the North Stars a 10-point lead, one that they would not let go of in the second half to take a 43-36 victory over the Vikings on Thursday.

“Those were some big shots,” North Stars coach Grant Oler said. “She’s a special kid, and she does it all the time in practice. A couple of the girls even knew it was going in when she took those shots.”

Posada proved to be a difficult shot even when time wasn’t about to expire, finishing with a game-high 15 points and team-high three assists. Of her points, 12 of them came in the first half to help the North Stars establish a 29-19 lead.

“We’re seeing the evolution of her form,” Oler said.“She works really hard at what she does, and it shows in how she plays. We’re just lucky to be around with her.”

And even when Posada and the North Stars (6-0, 2-0 DuKane) struggled on offense early into the second half, she managed to keep the momentum through her passing, finding junior Bronwyn How (11 points, nine rebounds) in the paint.

“Bronwyn’s a great player, and she brings a lot of attention with her height and her ability to score the ball,” Posada said. “It’s good when she sets me a pick and then we’re able to find a better angle for her or even rotate her for an even better look at the rim.”

The North Stars’ defense managed to thrive in the contest, picking up 15 steals on the night off of their full-court press. Six girls finished the night with multiple steals, with senior Elle Fuhr leading the way with four.

“They played with high hands and were ready to put the pressure on all night,” Oler said. “We want to make sure our defense travels every night. This is a tough gym to play in. To get out of here with a win is special.”

The Vikings (0-6, 0-1) managed to hunker down on defense in the second half, allowing just 14 points in the second half to keep them in the contest. However, the Achilles’ heel on the night came at the charity stripe, shooting 5-of-14 from the line, including only making one in eight attempts in the second half.

“We just keep telling our kids that we’re right there and we’re so close,” Vikings coach Sarah Meadows said. “But the question now is when we’re going to get over the hump. But I thought the effort was great, and I thought we were tough in moments, we just need to make free throws there. If we make even half of those, it’s a completely different game.”

Senior Keira McCann ended up leading the way for the Vikings, scoring 12 points, including two 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to bring it to a two-possession game. She also added five rebounds and a team-high three steals.

“It’s not a secret that she’s our go-to this year,” Meadows said. “We’ve got to have her and more support around her. We’re working on it though. We’re 0-6 now, but I really don’t feel like we’re a winless team.”