It's St. Charles East and Neuqua at the top - and several others close behind
With the opening weekend of the high school boys basketball conference season in the books, it's time to make a few observations.
Keep in mind that the season is still in its infancy but there have been plenty of positives enjoyed by our four Tri-Cities teams.
Here are some things I've noticed:
• While East Aurora and Neuqua Valley remain the teams to beat in the final year of the Upstate Eight Conference as we know it, the gap between the top and the rest of the contenders may be smaller than anticipated.
A week and a half ago, St. Charles North cut a 14-point second-half deficit to 5 early in the fourth quarter against East Aurora and trailed by just 9 with two minutes remaining before dropping a 61-46 decision to the Tomcats (3-2) in the third-place game of the St. Charles East/Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament.
Not only did the North Stars hold East Aurora to its lowest point total in five games but St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin learned something about his team in the process.
"I wanted to see us compete with East Aurora, which is possibly the best team in the conference this year, and use it as a barometer to see where we're at," Poulin said.
"We didn't have a ton of time to prepare for East Aurora defensively but I thought we competed."
If you haven't seen East Aurora play in person, it's well worth the price of admission. Junior guard Ryan Boatright, who is reportedly being recruited by several Division I schools, including Kentucky, is a lightning-quick, 5-10 guard who possesses amazing hops and unlimited range.
Mark Jan. 15 on your calendar - it's when the North Stars will get a rematch with East Aurora in St. Charles.
• St. Charles East, meanwhile, wasn't intimidated during Friday night's 65-56 homecourt loss to state-ranked Neuqua Valley (5-0).
In fact, the Saints held their own against an experienced Wildcats team and had the game tied at 48-48 midway through the second half.
On paper, St. Charles East's 2-4 start doesn't seem all that impressive but keep in mind it took the Saints until Dec. 30 to post their first win a year ago.
"We really like how we are playing," Saints coach Brian Clodi said after Saturday's 51-38 victory over defending Class 4A fourth-place state finisher Dundee-Crown.
Senior power forward Jess Striedl enjoyed his first double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds against Dundee-Crown. He also had 16 points and 8 boards in the Saints' 51-49 win over St. Joseph Nov. 28 - his team's first-ever win in six tries against legendary coach Gene Pingatore's Chargers.
Clodi, whose squad is 2-0 against teams nicknamed the Chargers, realizes his team's strengths and shortcomings.
"We've got a real new team," he said. "Really only Jess (Striedl) and Zack (Burns) saw much varsity time last year.
"We're the type of team where we need each other to make plays. We're not like an East Aurora - those guys can make a million plays on their own."
• I can't remember when Upstate Eight Conference rosters were filled with as many young players as they are this season. A total of 21 freshmen and sophomores are listed on the varsity rosters of 10 UEC teams - leaving Waubonsie Valley as the only conference team with just juniors and seniors.
St. Charles East has three such players - 5-10 sophomore point guard Charlie Fisher, 6-3 sophomore forward Johnny Hondlik and 6-2 freshman guard Kendall Stephens, while 6-7 sophomore center Kyle Nelson is a starter for St. Charles North.
"Kyle worked hard in the off-season on his mid-range game," Poulin said of Nelson, who scored 27 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the North Stars' weekend wins over Streamwood and Elgin.
• Tis' the season for zone defense and half-court style basketball.
If the first two weeks are any indication, don't look for many 70- or 80-point shootouts this season. Last weekend, St. Charles North held UEC opponents Streamwood and Elgin to an average of 35 points per game on its way to a pair of victories.
Meanwhile, St. Charles East limited Dundee-Crown to just 3 first-half baskets during its 51-38 nonconference triumph.
Led by sharpshooting guard Nolan Block and senior forward Brandon Beitzel, Geneva (5-1, 2-0) has limited its first six foes to 44 points per contest. Three Vikings' opponents were held to 35 points or less (West Chicago, Waubonsie Valley and Glenbard South).
• Batavia (4-1, 1-0) logged nearly 650 miles during last weekend's road trips to Rochelle and Quincy. The latter journey found the Bulldogs matched up against the state's fifth-ranked Class 4A team. While the end result was a 64-51 loss, the experience of playing in cozy Blue Devil Gym will likely pay off for coach Jim Roberts' squad.
It also served as a sign of the times for the Bulldogs, who after tonight's clash with DeKalb, will play their next six games on the road before returning home Jan. 5 against Sycamore.
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