St. Charles North rallies but fall in final seconds

A matchup of two top-five teams in the Daily Herald's preseason top 20 should yield intensity, multiple lead changes, last-second drama and glimpses of greater things to come.

Check, check, check and check.

Downers Grove South, No. 5 in those rankings, edged No. 3 St. Charles North 62-60 Tuesday night when center Ziggy Riauka scored the winning basket with 4.4 seconds left and the North Stars were unable to get a shot off on their last possession. It was the second game for both teams at the 52nd annual St. Charles East Thanksgiving Tournament.

"This team wants to win very badly," North Stars coach Tom Poulin said. "They don't take losing well. I think that will make them receptive to learning from losing...(but) we would much rather learn from a close win."

The North Stars (0-2) almost had it, overcoming an 11-point third quarter deficit to take three leads in the fourth quarter. A couple costly turnovers helped turn the momentum.

"I think coaches really have an impact on a close game and I think (Mustangs coach) Jay (Baum) had his team better prepared than I did," Poulin said. "So this one I take responsibility for the loss. I don't have guys in the right spots for certain things. We touched on them in practice but I obviously haven't taught it well enough."

Downers South (2-0) led almost the entire game. The Mustangs started on fire, swishing their first four 3-pointers by four different players.

The Mustangs built a 10-point lead three times in the first half before settling for a 34-28 halftime advantage. All 28 St. Charles North points came from three players, Quinten Payne, Josh Mikes and Kyle Nelson.

The North Stars quickly tied the game at 34 to start the third quarter on 3-pointers by Tony Neari and Chris Conrad.

The Mustangs answered with a 9-0 run as play became increasingly physical and chippy at times. Nelson started strong with 6 first-half points but picked up his third foul early in the third quarter and didn't score again.

"It was a really physical game both ways," Mikes said. "Both teams playing hard down to the wire basketball. Those are the games you love playing."

A 3-point play by Nick Vanek gave the Mustangs their biggest lead of the night, 53-42 late in the third quarter. The North Stars scored the next 12 points for their first lead since early in the first quarter.

Alec Eickert's jumper started the run. Conrad made a pair of 3-pointers and scored on a hard drive to the basket. The senior guard scored all 16 of his points in the second half.

"I was just trying to provide a spark," Conrad said. "It's a tough one to let go. It's a tough tournament, these are good teams we are playing so we have to keep our heads up."

The teams traded the lead four times in the final quarter. Payne scored four straight points to put the North Stars ahead 58-57. After a free throw tied the game, Conrad drove again for a 60-58 North Star lead with 2:18 remaining.

That turned out to be their final points. Jamall Millison hit a difficult fadeaway shot to tie the game, and the North Stars turned the ball over with a minute left.

The Mustangs didn't call a timeout, instead watching Millison get the ball on the wing with 10 seconds to go, drive into the lane and dish to Riauka for an easy basket and a 62-60 lead with 4.4 seconds left.

On their final chance, Nelson inbounded to Payne who dribbled to about 30 feet away but could not get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.

"We ran a play we have run a few years and they executed it," Baum said of he winning bucket. "I'm more proud of the defense (on the final possession). We have a slogan at Downers South of winning the battle one possession at a time. We won the last three battles.

"I have a lot of a lot of respect for that team (SCN), they are well coached and a lot of good athletes. It was disappointing we let them back in the game. At the same time last year it might have been a loss for us."

Downers South, who beat East Aurora by 13 points Monday, is off to a 2-0 start despite missing two starters. Danielius Jurgutis led with 18 points, Millison added 12 and the 6-foot-8 Riauka had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"It's going good so far," Millison said. "It just shows it's going to be better when everybody is there."

Payne finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a couple SportsCenter-quality highlights. One came on a behind-the-back pass that hit Mikes in stride for a layup, the other a drive and a jump stop when Payne used one dribble to maneuver himself from well behind the 3-point line almost to the front of the rim.

The 6-4 sophomore transfer is showing his versatility. He scored the first basket posting up inside. He spent plenty of the game with the ball in his hands running the offense and other times playing off the ball.

"We're just scratching the surface for putting him in the right spots for him to be successful and our team to be successful," Poulin said. "We all have to get on the same page with regards to our versatility and multiple positions. We're lacking a little chemistry. These kids haven't played in-season games together.

"We are right there. We are going to be a very good basketball team."

Mikes added 15 points and made all six of his free throws. The North Stars continue play at 6 p.m. Friday against East Aurora.

"We have another tough game, we have to have a short term memory," Conrad said. "We have to get that win."