'It's going to be one to remember'

St. Charles North boys basketball coach Tom Poulin was thinking about potential matchups as he scouted Dundee-Crown's 48-37 victory over McHenry at the Class 4A Elgin sectional on Wednesday.

"Seeing them in person for the first time, you start figuring out who will go where and who will have who," Poulin said.

"Each matchup really is interesting. If both teams play to the best of their ability, it's going to be one to remember."

How the intriguing individual battles play out between St. Charles North (22-8) and Dundee-Crown (22-5) will go a long way to determining which program remembers tonight's 7:30 p.m. Class 4A Elgin sectional championship more fondly.

Each school is seeking its first sectional title on the heels of comfortable semifinal victories.

St. Charles North advanced to the title game courtesy of Tuesday's 68-52 victory over Rockford Auburn (21-9). The North Stars sank seven straight 3-pointers in the first half to gain separation and never led by less than 10 points the rest of the game.

Dundee-Crown used a 17-2 run that bridged the first and second quarters to pull away from McHenry (16-13) on Wednesday. The Chargers maintained at least a 7-point lead for the duration of the game.

Both teams are well-balanced and driven by excellent guard play.

The North Stars rely on heady senior point guard Nick Neari (6-feet-3) and four-year varsity performer Jonathan DeMoss (6-3) for ballhandling and penetration. Neari scored 22 points against Auburn with a variety of pull-up jumpers, transition baskets and 3-pointers to go with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. DeMoss scored 9 points, hauled in 10 rebounds and finished with 4 assists.

"After watching them (Tuesday) night I'd say they are toughest on the perimeter," D-C coach Lance Huber said.

"They make a ton of threes. Neari is pretty quick and has that nice pull-up (jumper). With him and DeMoss, they have two guys who can handle it and deal with the defense. And DeMoss can just post you up."

Neari and DeMoss penetrated and drew extra defenders against Auburn, which left the North Stars open for seven consecutive 3-point field goals in the first half.

"They were pressing us, so we had to get by them and kick," Neari said. "Then once we started driving by and kicking to our shooters, they backed off the point guards and we started shooting.

"It's a simple game once you get it."

The Chargers counter on the perimeter with even-keeled senior leader Jeff Beck (6-1), versatile rebounder/scorer Marcus Henry (6-0) and tenacious defender Justin Strzelczyk (5-11). Henry led the Chargers with 16 points and 11 rebounds against McHenry. Beck was limited to 7 points by a bigger defender, but he contributed with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Strzelczyk was held scoreless but has the ability to sink 3-pointers when the opportunity arises.

"I think we just have to be physical with them," Beck said of Neari and DeMoss. "We probably match up with them strength-wise, but we're just a little bit shorter. But I think we can be aggressive. We might be a little quicker than them possibly, so we have to get out and pressure them on the perimeter and make them feel uncomfortable out there."

D-C senior forward/guard Aaron Reams (6-4) and North Stars forward Zach Hirsch (6-4) are polar opposites. Reams is a slasher who gets rebounds and likes to score in the paint. Hirsch can play in the middle, but the senior does more damage when he drifts out to the perimeter. He has buried 71 3-pointers this season.

The Chargers have a game-changer in 6-foot-6 center Charles Kimbrough, who blocked 3 shots and scored 8 points against McHenry, including 2 thunderous dunks that punctuated the big first-half run. He'll battle St. Charles North senior center Mike Kastel (6-7) for points and rebounding position. Kastel had 8 rebounds against Auburn.

"We haven't faced a more athletic big guy," Poulin said of Kimbrough.

"He runs the floor well and jumps to the roof. He has great timing defensively to block shots, and his instincts are good coming from the help side to help his teammates out. He's going to get a dunk or two and the place is going to go nuts, but it's 2 points. That won't beat us.

"What we need to do is keep him off the offensive boards and keep Dundee-Crown from getting extra possessions they shouldn't get. If we do well on the defensive boards and hold them to 1 shot a possession, that should bode well for us."

North Stars sophomore forward Josh Mikes (6-4), who scored 15 points in the semifinal, could present a matchup problem for D-C. If Reams has to cover Mikes, it could leave the 6-4 Hirsch with a substantial height advantage on shots from the perimeter against D-C guards.

Both teams have 3-point specialists who come off the bench.

Junior David Johnson (5-10) sank a pair from long distance for St. Charles North against Auburn. Rob Stupar (6-4) sparked D-C's 17-2 second-quarter run against McHenry with a pair of 3-pointers, and the straight-A student sank another in the third quarter.

The Chargers and North Stars have played eight common opponents: Burlington Central, Crystal Lake South, Crystal Lake Central, Elgin, Jacobs, Johnsburg, Prairie Ridge and Waubonsie Valley. D-C went 9-1 against those teams; the North Stars went 7-1 (D-C played CL South and Jacobs twice).

Dundee-Crown beat Jacobs 67-63 and 56-55 in February, whereas, St. Charles North lost to Jacobs 89-70 in the title game of the Jacobs Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27.

However, St. Charles North won a home game against Waubonsie Valley 64-50 on Feb. 7.

Six days later, Waubonsie Valley went to Carpentersville and beat the Chargers 52-37. D-C has since won seven straight and 13 of its last 14.

Both teams are familiar with Elgin's Chesbrough Field House.

Dundee-Crown competed in the Elgin Holiday Tournament and will be playing its sixth game at Elgin. St. Charles North will be playing at Chesbrough for the third time.

"It's going to be a battle," Stupar said. "There's a lot on the line."