Despite loss, North Stars proud of their turnaround

Nick Neari, a junior point guard on the St. Charles North boys basketball team, thought the North Stars were better than their 17-12 final record this season.

Senior Tim Janeway thought so too. So did junior Mike Kastel.

This is the same St. Charles North team that started the season an icy 2-7 and finished the year tying the school record in wins.

Unfortunately for the North Stars, their hopes for breaking the school record in wins and winning the school's second regional title were dashed, as Elgin topped them 58-50 in the Class 4A Larkin regional final Friday.

"We've always known we were a great team," Kastel said. "All of us had basically been playing together since we were little…we knew 2-7 didn't reflect us. We knew we were a better team than that. We just took it one game at a time."

"It's definitely something to be proud of," Janeway added on coming back to tie the school record in wins. "It's something we are going to remember for a long time."

At the start of the season, the North Stars had one big thing on their side even before they stepped on the court for a game -- athleticism.

In mainly football and baseball, many of the North Stars had played together at the varsity level before. They had all the pieces of the puzzle, but the puzzle wasn't starting to come together until late December.

Stuck at 2-7, St. Charles North's 5-game winning streak ironically began in the 84-72 double-overtime win against Upstate Eight opponent Elgin Dec. 21.

The winning streak was stopped Dec. 29 by Jacobs, which is one of the best teams in the Fox Valley, at the Eagles' own holiday tournament.

In January, the North Stars got hot again, this time winning 4 in a row, including against rival St. Charles East.

"We found our roles," Janeway said of what was working. "In the beginning, we really didn't have a (locked) starting lineup. We got to know each other and started to play together."

The North Stars entered the postseason confident, beating South Elgin in the regional semifinal.

Elgin, however, led most of the way (the North Stars led once, 10-9, in the first quarter) and was powered behind star Armani Williams' 23 points and Jeremy Granger's 19 points.

Six seniors depart from the North Stars, including one starter in Janeway.

"The seniors will be missed," St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. "They were the first boys team I coached when they were sophomores. They were a special group."

"This is just like after football season (ended)," Janeway added. "It's awful. It's (a) terrible (feeling). I love this team."

There is good news for the North Stars. An incredibly talented group of juniors will return, including leading scorer Jonathan DeMoss, Neari, Zach Hirsch and Kastel.

"We are looking forward to next year," Neari said. "Hopefully, we can do better than we did this year and set the tone for the underclassmen coming in."

"You'll definitely see us next year," Kastel added. "We'll be a strong force."

cbolin@dailyherald.com