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Balanced St. Charles East runs by Batavia

The numbers told an impressive story for St. Charles East Thursday night in Batavia.

A 17-2 lead to start the game. The Saints shot 52 percent from the field - 50 percent from 3-point range - and canned ten 3s. Three players in double figure scoring, 11 scoring at least 2 points.

It all added up to a 76-57 victory, one that looked as good to the fans in the stands as the numbers would indicate.

St. Charles East (6-1, 3-0 in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division) never trailed, scoring the first 8 points in a little over a minute and then substituting liberally the final three quarters to hand Batavia (4-3, 0-3) its third straight loss.

"We just wanted to get out to a really good start," said senior Mick Vyzral, who led all players with 14 points and 8 rebounds. "We had a lot of energy. We don't want to look past Batavia."

Jake Asquini followed with 12 points on four 3-point baskets, and Evan DiLeondardi scored all 11 of his points in the first half to go with the defensive play of the night by catching Batavia from behind for a blocked shot on what looked like a breakaway layup.

"We have a lot of weapons and we're very balanced," Vyzral said. "Cole (Gentry) has been averaging 20 a game and he had 8 tonight. It just shows our team is really balanced and a lot of guys can get the job done."

Gentry didn't shoot much Thursday, instead setting the tone early with his pinpoint passing finding Asquini for an open 3 and DiLeonardi for a layup.

"Gentry is a very unselfish player," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. "He doesn't miss open guys. They got open looks. I don't think we were in the area as much as we should with hands up. They do a really good job of what they do."

Vyzral also assisted Asquini for a 3 before finding himself open for a pair of treys and 8 first-quarter points.

"We wanted to put on ball pressure and get the fast-paced game that we like to play," said Cam Miller, who helped hold Batavia sharpshooter Canaan Coffey to 4 points.

When Saints coach Patrick Woods went to the bench with a 22-6 lead after a quarter, those reserves - led by Jeremy Champine, Zach Hondlik, John Bronec and Jake Clodi - kept the pace up while extending the Saints' lead to 40-21 at halftime.

Chasen Peez got hot in the second half for Batavia, scoring 14 of his game-high 16 points, but the Bulldogs never got closer than 16 points. Woods rested his starters for the final 10-plus minutes.

"It's great when you play well and execute and build up a comfortable lead you get other kids an opportunity to play and that's just going to make us better in the long run," Woods said. "Those guys need some stretches on the court to see what they can do and they earn it from practice every day."

Saints junior James McQuillan, who has been out with a concussion suffered in the Saints' loss to St. Joseph, dressed for the game. He didn't play but has been cleared to return.

Next up for the Saints is a visit from undefeated Geneva on Saturday, a matchup of the Daily Herald's No. 4 and No. 2 ranked teams.

"I like what we have," Woods said. "I'm ready for a battle. I know it's going to be a war. We're looking forward to it."

Brett Bowman came off the bench to score 10 points for Batavia including 6-for-6 shooting at the line. The Bulldogs have seen the River's best their last two games, Geneva and now the Saints.

"You want to play them, you want to be good," Nazos said. "We're trying to get there. I 100 percent think we can. It takes time and a lot of work."

Images: Batavia vs. St. Charles East, boys basketball

  St. Charles East's Evan DiLeonardi looks to pass over Batavia's Brett Bowman in the first quarter Thursday in Batavia. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles East's Cam Miller (foreground) and Cole Gentry (background) swarm Batavia's Kamontez Thomas as he makes a shot for the hoop in the third quarter Thursday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles East's JT Ford pressures Batavia's Brett Bowman. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles East's Jeremy Champine (far right) looks to maneuver around Batavia's ed Golden in the first quarter Thursday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
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