Five teams vying for UEC River title

The deeper into the first Upstate Eight Conference River Division season we get, the more interesting the boys basketball race becomes.

When conference play resumes Friday, the top five teams could not be bunched much closer. St. Charles East, St. Charles North and Elgin are all 5-2 with Batavia and Geneva right on their tails at 5-3.

That's one reason Saints coach Brian Clodi's sprits were still high despite a 51-48 loss to St. Charles North Saturday night.

“We still have a chance to win conference,” Clodi said. “That's the cool thing, there's a lot of parody.”

That there is. The key game this weekend figures to be Elgin traveling to Batavia Friday night.

While the entire conference race has been entertaining so far, there's no better place to see a competitive game than one of the Saints'. After the 3-point loss to the North Stars all seven of their conference games have been decided by single digits with six of those decided by 5 points or less.

“The effort is there, the attitude is there,” Clodi said. “Our practices are unbelievable. It's January and we simulate game speed in every drill. Even our guys who don't play much are fighting every day. We still haven't put together what I see every day in practice. It's coming.”

The Saints would like to see it come against the North Stars, their nemesis of late with six straight wins in the series. They play again Feb. 18 at St. Charles North and could meet a fourth time in regionals.

“We need to get over that hump,” Clodi said. “The one that is going to count is the regional. We'll trade this loss for a regional win every day.”

“It's not over, we still have a chance to get another win,” Saints sophomore Kendall Stephens said. “That's how we are looking (at it).”

New winter home:

After a successful run at the Jacobs Holiday Tournament that included three straight runner-up finishes in 2007, 2008 and 2009, St. Charles North will spend next year's Christmas break against an even more difficult field at Pontiac.

The invitation came about through North Stars sophomore coach Sean Masoncup whose father-in-law is the Pontiac tournament director, Jim Drengwitz. Next year will be the 81st annual tournament with a field that includes West Aurora locally and many of the state's best teams, including this year's Pontiac champion Simeon.

“We couldn't be happier,” North Stars coach Tom Poulin said. “It will be a great experience for our guys and another opportunity for the team to play high quality competition. Many of our players have aspirations to play ball after high school, at some level, and this tourney should help get them some exposure, which is another plus.”

Starting spot:

Poulin made a change in his lineup from Thursday's 17-point loss to Batavia to Saturday at St. Charles East giving junior Jason Weinzirl an opportunity.

Weinzirl responded with 8 points and a couple 3-pointers after the North Star three starting guards combined for 15 points in the loss to Batavia.

“Jason has done nothing but what we've asked him to do since day one,” Poulin said. “He hasn't complained about minutes. Any minutes he gets you notice him for good reasons. He makes a positive impact on the game. He's a joy to coach. He deserves a night like this.”

Another bright spot:

Reserve Matt Ray gave the Saints a lift Saturday and nearly rescued them from an 8-point fourth quarter deficit. His 3-pointer and then steal and 3-point play gave the Saints a chance to force overtime.

Clodi said he sees Ray's 3s drop all the time in practice and was glad to finally see one fall in a game.

“That is his first one in a long time,” Clodi said. “He makes every one in practice. Finally he is off the snide. I hope it caries over to the next game because he's a great shooter. He had a great night for us.”

High praise:

Both visiting coaches — Poulin and North Stars girls coach Colleen Brennan — had nothing but good things to say about another doubleheader at St. Charles East.

“My favorite game of the year, especially here,” Brennan said. “I love this gym and this atmosphere of this whole day. It's a great experience for the kids. You can't create it, you can't even put it into words.”

“It's nice to come over here and play in this gym,” Poulin said. “They are our rival but they respect us. On the board I told them (our players) to make some memories. I thought we did that.”