Lull costs St. Charles North

PONTIAC St. Charles North was looking to make a statement in its maiden appearance at the famed Pontiac Holiday Tournament.

Pitted in the final game of first-round action against fourth-seeded Oak Park-River Forest on Wednesday night, the North Stars played the Huskies evenly until a disastrous third-quarter-closing stretch that turned the tide in a 69-60 OPRF victory.

The Huskies used a 10-0 run to take a 49-38 lead into the fourth quarter.

"We played apprehensively and passively during that spurt to end the (third) quarter," St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. "That stretch was the difference in the game."

OPRF was without the services of Bradley-bound point guard Ka'Darryl Bell and St. Charles North did an admirable job containing the Huskies' active post, Gabe Levin, in the opening half, but the North Stars were fatally undermined by a career night from forward Alex Nesnidal.

The senior pumped in 28 points on 9-for-12 marksmanship and 6 straight made free throws. "Once I got those first few baskets, my confidence only grew," Nesnidal said. "I was open. My coach (Matt Maloney) lets me shoot. I was hopeful to fill in for some of (Bell's) points."

The game was no more than a two-possession spread for both teams the entire first half.

St. Charles North (5-10), which featured three players Quinten Payne (17 points), Kyle Swanson (15) and Kyle Nelson (14) in double figures, led by three after the first period and trailed 29-28 at the break.

At critical junctures in both the second and third quarters, though, the North Stars had free-throw woes to create further separation.

"That has been an Achilles' heel for us the whole year," Poulin said. "We have had chances to either extend leads or close out games at the end at the line and haven't done it. It bit us tonight."

Payne brought the North Stars to within 39-38 late in the third quarter, but OPRF (9-1) had five different players score to key the 10-0 burst.

"We just didn't play during that spurt," said Payne. "We can't have that happen. We want to do that to other teams, not let them do it to us."

The fourth quarter was a high-octane affair in which the teams combined for 42 points, but St. Charles North could get no closer than 62-55 on a Nelson 3-pointer.

The North Stars enter the consolation bracket to face host Pontiac Thursday afternoon.

"This is a special moment for the entire school," Poulin said of the Stars' debut at Pontiac.