St. Charles East upsets Maine South
Spencer Motley took one dribble and let it fly from just beyond half-court.
The ball sailed through the air, caromed off the backboard and fell through the net as the buzzer sounded, giving St. Charles East (4-6) a 47-44 victory over top-seeded Maine South (7-3) in Monday's opening round of the 37th annual York/Jack Tosh Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament in Elmhurst.
“I got the ball and I glimpsed at the clock,” said Motley, who finished with 6 points and 6 assists. “There was like point-something (of a second) left so I threw it up and it went in. I was probably a little bit behind half-court.”
The improbable 55-foot buzzer-beater propelled St. Charles East to today's 4 p.m. quarterfinal game against fifth-seeded Brother Rice, which was a 63-51 winner over Naperville North Monday afternoon.
“We've never won our first-round game here,” said Saints coach Brian Clodi. “I think it was probably going on 11 years. It feels real good. I thought it was poetic justice because I really felt we outplayed them.”
Led by sophomore guard Kendall Stephens, who tallied 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, the Saints committed just 2 turnovers while taking a 28-19 halftime advantage.
“They play a 1-2-2 (zone),” Clodi said of the Hawks' defense. “They pack it in and make you beat them. Obviously, we've got a great shooter in Kendall Stephens.”
After misfiring on his first three 3-point attempts, Stephens connected on his next five long-range shots in the opening half.
“We just took what the defense gave us,” said Stephens. “They let me get some open looks.”
Behind 6 third-quarter points from Johnny Hondlik and Stephens' three-point play, St. Charles East stretched its lead to 42-29 heading into the fourth quarter, putting the Hawks in an unusual position.
“We're a quarters-court offensive and quarters-court defensive team,” said Hawks coach Tony Lavorato. “When we get down by double digits, it's almost like being down (by) 50 (points) for our program.”
Forced to employ a full-court press down the stretch, the Hawks forced 5 fourth-quarter turnovers and went on an 11-0 run over the first 3 ½ minutes of the final period to pull within 42-40.
Charlie Fisher ended the Saints' dry spell with a layup to extend their lead to 44-40 with 3:35 remaining. The Hawks' Nick Calabrese answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 44-43.
After Tony Albano split a pair of free throws to tie it at 44 with 1:57 left, the Saints turned the ball over a few moments later.
“With 90 seconds left, the choice was to hold for the last shot,” said Lavorato.
In the final seconds, the Hawks got the ball in the hands of their leading scorer, 6-7 senior Matt Palucki (12 points, 10 rebounds).
“We got our best player a touch away from the basket but he passed it up,” said Lavorato.
Hondlik eventually picked up the loose ball and got it to Motley a few steps in front of the scorers' table.
“We got a big stop at the end and then Spencer's shot — that's a once-in-a-lifetime shot that goes in,” said Clodi. “We were fortunate to get the turnover and the bottom line was that our kids found a way to win.”