St. Charles North overcomes slow start

Holding a 1-point lead at halftime, St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin stressed the importance of working hard, no matter who was on the other side of the court.

The North Stars had fallen behind by as many as seven points in the first half to Lake Park - a team which entered the game with a paltry 3-16 record - while committing 11 turnovers.

Poulin's pep-talk immediately lit a fire under St. Charles North, as the North Stars outscored Lake Park 21-8 in the third quarter en route to a 48-32 victory Friday night in Roselle.

"We talked at halftime just about not letting possessions go by and taking them for granted, both offensively and defensively" Poulis said. "I liked our third-quarter energy, I liked our third-quarter commitment to taking care of the basketball and actually running some stuff instead of just freelancing.

"Overall, we played more up to our potential in the third quarter than we did in the first half."

St. Charles North (14-6, 6-1 Upstate Eight Conference) didn't grab its first lead of the game until 2:00 remained in the second quarter. A Zach Hirsch 3-pointer kick-started an 8-0 run for the North Stars after halftime, stretching the visitors' lead to 27-18.

"Just picking up the pressure, denying them, and not letting them be comfortable in their offense," senior guard Nick Neari said when asked about the difference between the two halves. "We kept the ball away from them, and just took advantage of the opportunities they gave us.

"When they did pressure, we just went by them or got an open look."

Friday marked the second time in two weeks that the North Stars were able to hold an opponent under 40 points.

"Coach has been really stressing defense, especially at halftime," Neari said. "We came out in the second half, and just picked up the defense, picked up the intensity, and denied."

The Lancers (3-17, 0-6 UEC) played to their tempo in the first quarter, resulting in a 12-8 advantage after one. Yet Lake Park was unable to keep control of the pace, which ultimately led to the loss.

"The pace of the game was at our speed (in the first quarter)," Lancers coach Cray Allen said. "We did a good job of keeping the rhythm and the pace of the game at where we wanted to do.

"In the second half, our explosion wasn't there. If you're going to be smaller and second off the floor, it's going to be tough."