Saints don't let 0-11 start keep them down
The cliche goes you can throw the records out the window.
It's often used to say Team A has a chance to beat Team B, even though Team B is 10-0 and Team A is 0-10.
"Throw the records out the window."
I'd like to use the same saying about the 15th place game at the York Holiday Tournament this week.
Brother Rice brought a 1-9 record into the game, which beat St. Charles East's 0-11.
A combined 1-20.
But throw the records out the window, because while the records might have been lousy, the play on the court was anything but.
Brother Rice made seven straight 3-pointers in the first quarter.
St. Charles East rallied from 18 points behind take its first - and only - lead with 7.2 seconds remaining.
Led by Kevin Senechalle's 33 points, the Saints came all the way back to win.
Actually, those records did matter for one reason: It showed just how much it meant for the Saints to get their first win.
That win easily could have come at any of the previous three tournament games, when the Saints lost twice in overtime and by 3 points.
"These kids have worked so hard and were so close," St. Charles East coach Brian Clodi said. "That's a credit to these guys, the will to win, they have it.
"We've been in a lot of games. Everybody looks at our record, they don't see the team progressing. We as a coaching staff keep feeling we are going the right direction."
It will be interesting to see if getting that first win can be a springboard to a much better second half of the season.
"We haven't caught too many breaks and now we have to not be too happy with this, obviously celebrate but get ready for our conference schedule and get ready for what's coming in 2009," Clodi said.
The Saints certainly have a player to build around in the 6-foot-7 Senechalle, who has offers from Division II Wisconsin-Parkside and NAIA University of St. Francis while starting to get Division I looks from Loyola and Boston University.
Senechalle led all 16 teams in the York Tournament with 123 points, scoring 30, 29, 31 and 33.
"He's a dominant force," Saints senior Zach Scott said. "He's not selfish either, he'll kick the ball out, A great team player and at the same time he can take over a game."
Senechalle said he'll take his time deciding about college.
"I've been talking to quite a few schools lately, I'm not sure where I want to go," Senechalle said. "I don't know, I'm just trying to figure it out."
Just like Clodi had to figure out how to keep his team's heads up with the 0-11 start. It's a credit to the Saints they keep playing hard. To fall 18 points down in a 15th place game would have been easy to quit.
Instead they came all the way back for a win that they certainly aren't going to throw out any window.
"When we play well we can play with anybody," Clodi said. "The problem with this team is we've never done it for 32 minutes. We've done it for 8, 16 and so on.
"Now we are going to play a little more relaxed. That first win is proof you can do it."
jlemon@dailyherald.com