Larkin plays hard, but N. Stars get win
Coaches burn timeouts for all kinds of reasons, often to stop their opponent's momentum or try to correct something their own team is doing wrong.
St. Charles North's Tom Poulin used his first timeout Thursday against Larkin for a slightly different reason.
"We were just trying to wake them up, honestly," Poulin said.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more effective timeout than Poulin's, which he called four minutes into the game and his team trailing 10-7. St. Charles North outscored Larkin 9-0 to end the first quarter, then extended the post-timeout run to 20-4 in the second, opening up a double-digit lead on their way to a 69-58 victory.
St. Charles North (12-5, 4-1) won its fifth straight game and ninth in its last 10. But that doesn't mean they were happy falling behind early or with the way much of the game went.
"You'd have to say Larkin played harder and they really competed well," Poulin said. "Their kids wanted to win tonight. Our kids were a little sluggish and when you do that against a team that is really competing hard you are going to be in trouble."
Larkin (6-11, 1-3) closed St. Charles North's biggest lead, 45-28 in the third quarter, to 6 points twice in the fourth quarter.
Both times the North Stars had the answer. Nick Neari found Josh Mikes inside for a basket, then after the Royals again cut the lead to 6, Jonathan DeMoss drove and passed out to David Johnson, whose 3-pointer gave the North Stars a 58-49 lead with 4:14 remaining.
The North Stars led by at least 8 from there, with points in the final minute from Beau Blakeley and Alex Thompson pushing the final margin to 11.
"Our theme of this game was to come out and be physical and they were," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "We made a great comeback on their home court. That is a tough team and I thought we gave them a pretty good run."
Poulin went deeper on his bench in the first half trying to get his team going. He was rewarded when sophomore Chris Conrad hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter and converted a 3-point play in the second.
"I thought Chris Conrad gave us a spark in the first half, David Johnson as usual came in and gave us good minutes," Poulin said. "I thought our bench came in and helped us out, but collectively we didn't seem focused."
Nick Neari scored 13 of his game-high 19 points in the second quarter, helping the North Stars open a 35-25 halftime lead.
"Once they get up in your shorts and pressure you, our motto is to go right by them because it is hard for them to react," Neari said.
Juniors Garrett McDaniel and Jermaine Clements gave Larkin a lift in their first game after gaining eligibility. Clements scored 8 points and McDaniel added 5 and both were on the court in the fourth quarter when the Royals cut the 17-point deficit to 6.
"I saw some promise there," Hight said. "We'll see what they can bring to the table. They gave us a spark. We've got a good junior crew."
Nobody scored in double figures for the Royals, with five players - Clements, Brandon Cooks (10 rebounds), Patrick John, Jeff Saurbaugh and Drew Simonini - scoring 8 or 9 points.
DeMoss joined Neari in double figures with 12 points for the North Stars. Zach Hirsch added 9 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.
The North Stars will go for their sixth straight win Saturday night against cross-town rival St. Charles East. Neari and DeMoss both went to Thompson Middle School with most of the St. Charles East team.
"We're very good friends (with the Saints)," Neari said. "It's going to be fun."