St. Charles East 87, Libertyville 75

Showtime -- St. Charles East style.

Looking like a well-oiled offensive machine for three quarters, the Saints built a 72-47 lead on their way to an 87-75 nonconference basketball triumph over Libertyville (8-10) Tuesday in St. Charles.

While shooting 66 percent from the field (31-for-47), the Saints earned rave reviews from Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil.

"We weren't moving our feet defensively and they were making us pay for it," said Bogumil. "They were on fire.

"If they continue to play like that, St. Charles East will go a long ways."

The Saints (10-10), who climbed back to the .500 mark for the first time since the opening week of the season, have averaged 80 points over their last five contests.

Against Libertyville, St. Charles East hit 11 of its first 12 shots -- including four 3-point baskets -- while jumping out to a 26-17 first-quarter lead.

Senior Ryan Suits, who finished with 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor, led the early charge with 8 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

"I was feeling good after a couple shots went in," said Suits. "I just had to hit the open shot. Down the line, everyone was making shots -- it was awesome to see."

By halftime, the Saints had 3 players in double figures -- Collin Pryor, Kevin Senechalle and Suits -- to go with an 18-point advantage (47-29).

"The bottom line is that the kids are playing like we taught them -- the extra pass, running our break," said Saints coach Brian Clodi.

"It's all about spacing. When you've got Kevin Senechalle, a 6-6 stud on the inside, and you have the correct spacing, you get those wide-open looks -- and they went down."

Late in the third quarter, the Saints' fastbreak kicked into high gear as back-to-back jams from Senechalle (12 points) and Pryor (game-high 27 points) upped the lead to as many as 29 points (71-42).

"Everything came together tonight," said Suits, who also received words of praise from his coach.

"Ryan was feeling it tonight," said Clodi. "He has worked hard. He was in the gym Sunday night working on his shot."

Fueled by Joey Aiello (26 points), Nik Ebert (11) and Jeremy Letchford (10), the Wildcats went on a 27-7 run to pull within 78-69 with 1:40 remaining before the Saints made 9 of 12 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

"We talked about just competing, just trying to get it to 20, then 15," Bogumil said of his team's deficit. "I was proud of the kids when they got it down to 9."

However, the majority of the night belonged to the Saints.

"Everyone is getting their points, everyone is getting their touches, everyone is playing great," said Suits. "We're building confidence every game."

Zach Scott added 11 points for the Saints.