No stopping N. Stars' string of 3-pointers
When Drew Vazquez knocked down 11 3-pointers to advance in the 3-point Showdown before the Class 4A sectional semifinal, that sizzling shooting display looked like it would have to be the best shooting performance from a St. Charles player Tuesday night.
It turned out to be a warmup act.
St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin came out to the court early and applauded St. Charles East's Vazquez effort before the game, then had much more to cheer about after watching the way his team shot the ball.
The North Stars blistered the nets, hitting their first seven 3-pointers and 8 of 10 in the first half. Their 27-16 and 45-26 leads thanks to all the early 3-pointers eventually became a 68-52 final.
"We've been saying, wait until all of them shoot well," Poulin said. "I thought they were good shots for the most part, they were open shots. Because Auburn pressures the ball so much, Jon (DeMoss) and Nick (Neari) can go by, it forces you to help and Zach (Hirsch) and David (Johnson) are going to be open. We're good at taking what teams give us. We tell the guys we have an answer, we just have to find what they are giving us."
Hirsch, a 6-foot-4 lefty, led the way Tuesday hitting 4 of 5 three-pointers in the first half. The Nebraska-bound baseball player hit four 3-pointers last week in the regional opener against Larkin, then was held scoreless when South Elgin face-guarded him Friday.
Hirsch has been the North Stars' 3-point leader all year, actually hitting a higher percentage of his 3s (37 percent) than 2-pointers (35.4). He now has 71 3s in 30 games.
"We all just shot exceptional, and we all shared the ball really well," Hirsch said. "We hit the open guy and we knocked down shots.
Neari got them started, his 3-pointer with 3:37 left in the first quarter erasing Rockford Auburn's last lead of the night. It was the first of seven 3-pointers in just a four-minute stretch that turned a 9-8 deficit into a 30-16 lead.
"Shooting like that in the first quarter makes it hard for the other team," Neari said. "Zach has been hot mostly every game but we were all hitting on all cylinders tonight."
Neari followed with the next 3 with 3:11 left in the first quarter, then DeMoss found Hirsch for a 3. Neari drained another and Hirsch two more to end the first quarter with six 3-pointers on their last 7 possessions, only a DeMoss trip to the free-throw line interrupting the lights-out 3 streak.
"We just found the open man," DeMoss said. "I don't think they were really ready for us. They underestimated us I feel like. If we find the open guy they can knock down the shot. That's what you need in a tournament like this."
Johnson came off the bench to join in the fun, hitting a 3 to start the second quarter. Neari added the final 3 of the first half - banking one in from 23 feet out to erase any doubt about whether it was the North Stars' night.
"It was unbelievable but I wasn't really surprised because I've seen us do it before," Johnson said. "It was an awesome feeling.
"I could just tell we were going to have a good night tonight. Last time I came to this gym I didn't like it but the stands in the back (behind the basket) made it (the shooting background) better."
St. Charles North went 0 of 4 from 3 in the second half, maybe saving a few for Friday night's title game.