SCN's difficult schedule continues with loss at OP
St. Charles North basketball coach Tom Poulin, now in his second season as head coach of the North Stars, had a plan last off-season.
Poulin had hoped that by scheduling tougher out-of-conference games for his developing team, they would in turn be better prepared for future competitive teams in their conference.
However, after dropping their fourth consecutive game Saturday night at Oak Park by a score of 62-32, Poulin, along with his players, are left wondering how to react to starting their season with a 2-7 record.
"We're facing, every night I believe, teams that are athletic and some of the better teams in the state," Poulin said. "We just need to keep plugging away."
The North Stars knew coming into Saturday's contest that they would be in for a challenge, seeing as they were facing Oak Park's Imann Shumpert. Shumpert is one of the most highly touted players in the state of Illinois and has committed to play at Georgia Tech next season.
Despite the fact that Shumpert (10 points, 4 rebounds) did not dominate the game, his athletic prowess was evident throughout as he connected on two long distance 3-pointers, and distributed the ball effectively to his teammates.
"I'm more about winning (than scoring)," Shumpert said. "I don't feel any pressure to go for 30 or 40 points per game even thought that's what a lot of people want to see. That's not my game."
Trailing by nine at the half, the North Stars came out playing more efficiently on the offensive side of the ball, and were able to utilize junior Zach Hirsch's outside shooting in the third quarter to cut Oak Park's lead to 25-19.
Hirsch, who led all scorers with 14 points, was seemingly unstoppable from the outside as he connected on four of 10 three-point shots.
"I think that as the year goes along you always gain more confidence," Hirsch said. "I'm able to get more confident (with my shot) as a result of (our team's) ability to penetrate the lane."
After bringing his team within six points midway through the third, Hirsch, his teammates and the coaching staff alike, felt they were within striking distance.
"We were thinking this is the time we have to keep the basketball," Poulin said of his team's third-quarter run. "That was a pivotal moment because if we would have taken care of the basketball, we may have been able to keep it interesting."
However, a 17-2 run by Oak Park to end the quarter put the game out of reach for St. Charles North.
The second-year coach however remains confident in his team's abilities and the valuable lessons they are learning early on this season.
"We're hoping this plan (to play tougher competition) pays off in the long run," Poulin said. "If we keep staying positive, come March we'll be a better team because of it."