It was looking rather bleak for Geneva.

Heading into the final minute of play trailing by one against West Aurora in the final game of the MLK Day of Hoops, the Vikings were looking for any way to get the ball back into their possession.

Just 30 seconds later, senior Nathan Palmer gave the host crowd plenty to cheer about.

After the Vikings regained possession of the ball on a turnover, the senior drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.8 seconds remaining to help the Vikings secure a 45-43 victory over the Blackhawks.

“It was just a fun thing to do,” Palmer said. “It was real good to see that shot go in and have my teammates right behind me being excited. This win was important, and getting that shot was just as important.”

Palmer’s shot wouldn’t have been possible if not for freshman Cody Rader, who was subbed into the game after senior Gabe Jensen had fouled out of the contest less than a minute earlier. The freshman intercepted a pass and, despite not getting the layup, flipped the floor enough to lead to the go-ahead 3-pointer.

“I just saw a bad pass and took it into the floor,” Rader said. “I didn’t get the shot but Nathan hit the big 3-pointer and the crowd went crazy. It was real great.”

It was one of 19 steals the Vikings (16-3) had on the night, with five players recording three or more. Jensen led the way with five steals, while junior Ben Peterson was close behind with four takeaways.

“We just did a really good job defensively in the half court there,” Geneva coach Scott Hennig said. “We won the turnover battle, which is what we wanted. We also did a lot of the little things right too.”

Palmer led the charge for the Vikings offensively, scoring 13 points while adding five assists. Rader and junior David Udoiwod each added 12 points, with the freshman getting all of his points from 3-point range.

“I mean, the mindset for all of us is that you have to be there and you have to be ready to shoot the ball,” Rader said. “You can’t be scared to shoot, and you have to have the mentality that you’re going to make every shot.”

The turnover in the final minute of play was one of 27 turnovers the Blackhawks (12-9) had in the contest, a key part of play that coach Mike Fowler knew was a big difference in the game.

“We didn’t value the basketball and that’s the No. 1 thing that I’m focused on,” Fowler said. “We lost by two points, had possession of the ball at the end and still couldn’t secure it and turned the ball over at the end. We’ve just got to own it.”

The Blackhawks held the largest lead of the night midway through the second quarter with a 21-12 advantage, and managed to enter halftime with a 25-22 lead, holding off a 10-0 run from the Vikings.

Leading the charge was junior Travis Brown Jr., who had eight points, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. Senior Drew Lundberg led the team with 11 points.

“I thought we had a slow start, but we turned it up,” Fowler said. “We just didn’t push away from them, but you’re not going to beat many good teams like Geneva when you turn over the ball that many times like we did.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2026/01/20/nathan-palmers-go-ahead-3-pointer-with-28-seconds-left-helps-geneva-over-west-aurora-in-mlk-day-of-hoops/