Saints rally from 18 down for first win of season

Forget about getting the monkey off their back.

The St. Charles East boys basketball team did that and then some with its win Tuesday at the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic.

"It felt like a semi truck has been on these guys' backs," St. Charles East coach Brian Clodi said.

The Saints broke through with their first win of the season, getting it in as remarkable fashion as many of the agonizing losses in their 0-11 start.

St. Charles East rallied from 18 points down, took its only lead of the game with 7.2 seconds left, then held on to beat Brother Rice 73-72 in the 15th place game at York.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Brother Rice (1-10), who hit its first seven 3-pointers early in the first quarter to go up 21-3. But the Crusaders aren't going to get any sympathy from the Saints (1-11), who lost their first 3 games of the tournament by a combined 8 points, two in overtime.

That explains why when the clock hit 0:00, the Saints celebrated like they had won the state title, or at least the tournament title, with a mob scene at center court.

"It was a great relief," senior Zach Scott said. "Friends keep picking on me but (we) kept working through it. Hopefully it carries onto a couple more wins."

It looked for sure like the Saints had that first win earlier this tournament, first with a 6-point lead and 20 seconds to go against Riverside-Brookfield, then when Lyons hit a shot in overtime to win, then a 3-point loss to Eisenhower.

Instead, the Saints wound up winning a game Tuesday that they were down 18 with 3:04 still left in the first quarter, gradually coming back and finally catching Brother Rice on Kevin Senechalle's 2 free throws with 7.2 seconds left.

After Senechalle's free throws, the final 2 of his 33 points, Brother Rice brought the ball up court but never got off a potential game-winning shot before the buzzer sounded.

"We were in shock again (down 21-3), we thought maybe it was going to be the same story," Senechalle said. "We just decided to buckle down and inch back throughout the game. That's all you can do."

Senechalle scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter. His basket with 32 seconds left cut Brother Rice's lead to 72-71, then the Saints forced the 25th Brother Rice turnover, and ninth in the fourth quarter, to regain possession.

St. Charles East patiently worked the ball down low to Senechalle, who was fouled on a turnaround jumper in the lane.

"We've got to make plays down the stretch, and today we did that," Clodi said. "They got what they deserved. After that 21-3 being down, it's typical of this group because they never quit. They are always going to fight to the end no matter what the scoreboard says."

The 6-foot-7 Senechalle finished hitting 10 of 15 shots from the field and 13 of 17 at the free-throw line, where the Saints outscored Brother Rice 25-7. He led the tournament in scoring, just like he did at St. Charles East's Thanksgiving tournament, with 31, 30, 29 and 33 points.

"What was going through my mind was if I miss them we lose, if I make them we win," Senechalle said. "It was fun. It was a great change to finally win one. The talk after the game is always better."

Scott added 19 points and Jess Striedl came off the bench for 9.

Dan Walsh paced Brother Rice with 23 points and John Hickey added 15, but was one of three Crusaders to foul out. Brother Rice lost despite shooting 60 percent from the field (27 of 45).

"We're going to celebrate as a group," Clodi said. "It was a big win for us. It's a proud day for me as well as the entire coaching staff and the team. That was a great comeback, a battle of wills."

The St. Charles Boys High School Lacrosse Club will hold registration for all returning and new players on Monday, Jan. 12th in the St. Charles North High School cafeteria.

The club fields frosh-soph, JV and varsity teams and is comprised of players from both St. Charles East and St. Charles North High Schools. There will be a mandatory information meeting for parents and players from 7:30-8 p.m. and two registration sessions to choose from at 6:30-7:30 p.m. and 8-9 p.m.

The club encourages both experienced players and players with minimal or no experience who are interested in trying the country's fastest growing sport. St. Charles has become one of the premier programs in the state with back-to-back state Final Four appearances and 10 players committing to Division I, II and III programs in the last three years.