St. Charles East zone sends Elgin to 6th loss in row

The 2-3 matchup zone the St. Charles East boys basketball team has been utilizing recently has helped the Saints gain confidence and it can frustrate an opponent.

That's exactly what the defense did Thursday night to Elgin.

The Saints held the Maroons to 2 points in the first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter, turning a 2-point deficit into a 9-point lead and eventually a 52-45 Upstate Eight Conference victory at Chesbrough Field House.

"We stepped it more defensively," East senior Zack Burns said. "The (zone) seems to be getting better game in and game out. I feel much more comfortable with it and I think everyone else is."

East (7-9, 1-4) led 35-31 with a minute left in the third quarter before Elgin's 5-foot-4 freshman Arie Williams hit a pair of long 3-pointers in the final minute to give the Maroons a 37-35 lead heading to the fourth.

The Saints' Charlie Fisher's drive and layup 8 seconds into the fourth tied the game, 37-37. East took a 43-37 lead with 4 minutes left after five straight points from Jess Striedl, who finished with 14 points. A steal and layup from Kory Brown with 2:05 remaining cut the Saints' lead to 43-39, but those were the only Elgin points in the first 7 minutes of the quarter.

"We didn't like playing against the zone," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. "We didn't play very well against it. We didn't show any energy when they were in the zone."

Burns, who led the Saints with 15 points and 6 rebounds, hit 4 free throws and Drew Vazquez hit a pair in the final minute.

"Defensively, we've grown," East coach Brian Clodi said. "Our kids are in the right spots. They understand to close out now. They're boxing out and limiting offensive rebounds."

Vazquez returned to action, but did not start, after missing Monday's game after being told he might have a broken fibula, which was not the case. The senior scored 5 points.

Fisher added 9 points, 7 in the second half, for the Saints.

Brown led the Maroons (4-15, 0-6), who have lost six straight, with 12 points. Williams added 9.