Boys Basketball: Ethan Marlowe’s late bucket helps St. Charles North hold off Geneva

GENEVA – Ethan Marlowe wanted the ball.

While it may have been a struggle for most of the night, the St. Charles North senior captain trusted himself.

With his team trailing by a point, Marlowe received a pass in the high post, took a dribble and saw his floater over two Geneva defenders hit the bottom of the net with just over 25 seconds remaining to help the North Stars hold off Geneva, 45-44, in DuKane Conference play.

After making just one field goal attempt in the first half, the 6-foot-9 Marlowe scored eight of his 11 points after halftime, including his game-winning bucket.

“Down one, I always want the ball in my hands,” Marlowe said. “I trust myself to be able to put the ball in the basket [in those spots]. I trust my teammates to get me the ball… Being a captain and a senior leader, that’s a responsibility that I have to take.”

After leading the entire fourth quarter, St. Charles North (12-11, 7-3 DuKane Conference) saw its lead evaporate. Geneva’s Chris Suger hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for the Vikings (12-12, 2-8) – his fourth long-range bucket of the night – with 2:10 remaining. Suger finished with 14 points for Geneva.

The North Stars ran the clock down after taking a timeout before Marlowe’s contested shot in the lane allowed the North Stars to escape Geneva with a road conference victory.

“Ethan Marlowe… I’m glad he’s [graduating],” Geneva coach Scott Hennig said with a laugh. “Part of the reason it was a struggle [for both sides] is because we know each other so well… I was proud of the way we played defensively with the firepower that [St. Charles North] has over there.”

Geneva had a chance in the final seconds but was forced to throw up a 3-pointer near halfcourt in the final seconds, which fell short. The Vikings made 10-of-16 3-point attempts in the loss.

Mick Lawrence finished with a game-high 20 points for the Vikings in defeat, while Max Love joined Marlowe in double figures for the North Stars with a team-high 12 points.

St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin expected a grind and got it from a conference foe, knowing Geneva wasn’t going to shy away from playing his team tough.

“[Geneva] does a nice job of working you,” Poulin said. “They kept the game really close and played extremely hard. You have to give credit where credit is due. I’m happy we were able to get Ethan the ball in that spot and it was nice to see him battle through some contact and finish there to make a play down the stretch for us tonight.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the North Stars in the second half, however. Lawrence’s back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the third quarter gave Geneva a three-point advantage.

Love and Marlowe put the North Stars on their backs, igniting a 12-2 run into the fourth quarter.

Marlowe said his team can gain some confidence moving forward knowing his team can find ways to win when not at its best.

“It’s always hard to get a win on the road in the DuKane Conference,” Marlowe said. “It’s never easy… Mick was hot all night and tonight it just seemed like the ball wasn’t moving the way it usually does for us. We weren’t 100% locked in at all times tonight, but we’re happy to get the win. We know it’s getting to that time of year where every detail matters, so we’ll get back to work and get ready for [St. Charles East] on Friday.”