BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva men's basketball team picked up a huge win over first place Chatham inside Metheny Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day, leading from start to finish in an 87-80 win over the Cougars.  The victory breaks a 12-game Chatham winning streak, which was a school record for the Cougars, and improves Geneva's record to 12-11 overall, 10-8 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).  Chatham dropped to 20-4, 17-2 in the PAC.

The afternoon opened with the men's program celebrating its six seniors.  KC Johns, Mark and Ryan Rachic, Trevor Tipton, Payton Triplett, along with student assistant Derek Sears, were all recognized for their contributions to the program, including last year's PAC Championship victory. 

Tipton opened the game with a three-pointer, followed by an offensive stick-back from freshman Tommy Coletti.  Johns then knocked down back-to-back baskets to give the Golden Tornadoes the first nine points of the game.  Two minutes later, a bucket from Ryan Rachic gave Geneva its first double-digit lead, 15-4, just five minutes into the game.

The Golden Tornado lead hovered between 8-12 points over the next five minutes before a quick Geneva burst pushed the lead to 31-15 at the 8:33 mark of the first half after a three-pointer from Mark Rachic and two free throws from Johns.

Chatham went to a full court press at that point, and it gave Geneva some struggles as the Golden Tornadoes turned the ball over multiple times over the next three minutes, fueling the Chatham offense and allowing the Cougars to close within 33-26 with four minutes left.

Geneva finished the half well, though, excelling at the free throw line, a theme for the whole game.  The Golden Tornadoes hit eight straight free throws down the stretch of the first half and took a 43-30 lead into the halftime break.

The men didn't let up early in the second half, and after three-pointers from Johns and Ryan Rachic, Geneva pushed its lead to the biggest of the night, 54-37, less than three minutes into the half.

Chatham began to get its offense going, but the Golden Tornadoes had an answer for every push the Cougars tried to make.  The lead never dipped into single digits until late in the game.  A three-pointer from Mark Rachic with seven minutes left in the game pushed the lead back to 73-57.  However, a couple Geneva turnovers allowed Chatham to score six quick points to keep the Cougars in the game.

Geneva responded with an offensive rebound and bucket from junior Alec Srock, who gave Geneva some great minutes off the bench in the game, along with two more free throws from Ryan Rachic.   

A three-pointer from Chatham's Xaiver Lovenson with 1:44 left cut the Geneva lead down to the single digits, 77-70, for the first time since late in the first half, but the Golden Tornadoes were automatic at the line down the stretch.  The men were a perfect 10-for-10 from the stripe over the final two minutes to hold on for the 87-80 victory.

Mark Rachic led the team with 23 points, along with nine rebounds, while his brother Ryan finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds.  Tipton added 16 points, with Johns contributing 11 points, meaning all four seniors that played reached double figures.  The men also got a huge effort from Srock, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.  Geneva shot 25-of-47 (53.2%) from the floor, 6-of-12 (50%) from three-point range, and an amazing 31-of-32 (96.9%) from the free throw line.  The men also outrebounded Chatham 43-30, but 21 Geneva turnovers allowed Chatham to hang around for much of the game.

Simony Boyer led four Chatham players in double figures with 24 points.  Chatham made 33-of-77 (42.9%) from the floor, 6-of-28 (21.4%) from three-point range.

"Our seniors had a huge game today, leading us to victory," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "All four of them were instrumental in the win, and I am really happy for them to get the victory on Senior Day.  We were so efficient offensively, with the turnovers really the only thing we struggled with at times.  Alec also gave us a huge game off the bench, and he was key in the win as well, particularly as we battled some foul trouble in the second half.  Now we need to finish the regular season well next week."

Geneva wraps up the regular season with a home game against Grove City on Wednesday and a road game at Franciscan next Saturday.  The men have clinched a spot in the playoffs, but if Geneva can win its last two games, it has a chance to move up to the fourth seed, which would give the Golden Tornadoes a home game in the quarterfinals.