Burlington Central upsets Geneva 62-58 in Class 3A regional semifinal behind strong home crowd support

Burlington Central overcame a rocky end to the regular season to deliver its best performance of the year Tuesday night, defeating Geneva 62-58 in a Class 3A regional semifinal at Rocket Hill.

The Rockets entered the playoffs having lost five of their final eight regular season games, according to coach Brett Porto. But the team’s youth and energy, combined with a charged home atmosphere, proved decisive against the visiting Vikings.

“It was amazing,” junior guard Ryan Carpenter said after the victory. “Home game, playoffs and we got the win.”

Burlington Central led by 11 points in the second half before Geneva mounted a comeback that briefly gave the Vikings a 40-38 advantage on a three-pointer by Dane Turner with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter, according to game reports.

The Rockets responded with a 10-0 run to open the fourth quarter and maintained their lead for the remainder of the contest to improve to 19-12 on the season.

“That is kind of us,” Porto said about surrendering the lead. “We give up leads. But I told them to just relax and get to the fourth quarter, and we would be right there. They did a really good job of staying poised with it.”

Carpenter, despite standing just 5-11, led all players with nine rebounds while contributing 14 points and three crucial fourth-quarter assists. Guard Bennek Braden paced Burlington Central’s scoring with 19 points and four rebounds, while 6-6 forward Patrick Magan added 11 points and guard Joseph Cumpata scored eight.

The Rockets start four juniors alongside 6-6 freshman Declan Wilson, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds on 5-for-7 shooting. Porto praised Wilson as an emerging college prospect who has recorded multiple double-doubles this season.

“He’s been really good for us this year, and he’s going to be a special player,” Porto said. “He’s skilled and not done growing. He’s had a lot of double-doubles for us. We’ve learned to trust him and play through him at different moments.”

Wilson acknowledged his growth throughout the season, saying he was “passive and nervous at the start of the season” but has become “more comfortable with my teammates and I’ve learned my role as a player.”

Geneva, which finished 25-7, was led by junior guard David Udoiwood’s 24 points before he fouled out with 1:54 remaining and his team trailing 56-50. Senior guard Nathan Palmer contributed 18 points for the Vikings, who were outrebounded 29-23.

Geneva coach Scott Hennig identified rebounding as a persistent issue for his team throughout the season.

“In our seven losses we really struggled to rebound,” Hennig said. “Part of it is a technique thing and part is a toughness thing. [Burlington Central] did a great job and we just got beat up on the backboards.”

Porto emphasized the significance of his team’s complete performance after an inconsistent regular season.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs throughout this season,” Porto said. “So that was really nice to see them play a complete basketball game, no matter which way it went. That was by far our best game of the year.”

Burlington Central advances to Friday’s regional final, where they will host undefeated Kaneland. The Knights defeated Prairie Ridge 76-50 earlier Tuesday behind 22 points from Marshawn Cocroft and 15 from Connor Kimme.

“Kaneland is going to be a good challenge, but I think we can step up,” Carpenter said.

The victory represents a significant turnaround for the young Rockets squad, which has found its rhythm at the most crucial point of the season.