Upstate Eight River shaping up to be wide open race
Good luck picking a winner in the Upstate Eight Conference's River Division, which already was shaping up to be a highly competitive race before the emergence of St. Charles North.
The North Stars weren't the first team to roll off the tongue when UEC River boys basketball coaches were asked in the preseason about teams to watch, yet they are off to a 6-1 start overall and 2-0 in league play following 2 home wins this week: Tuesday's 46-41 comeback against Batavia and Wednesday's 57-48 crossover triumph over Bartlett.
St. Charles North holds the early lead in a wide-open race. Also figuring in the equation are Geneva (6-0, 1-0), Elgin (5-1, 1-0), Larkin (4-3, 1-0) and St. Charles East (4-2, 0-1). Defending UEC River champion Batavia (2-4, 0-2) is still competitive. The Bulldogs have held fourth-quarter leads in each of their 4 losses.
"Every night is going to be fun," St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said of UEC River games. "Elgin is good, Geneva, Larkin, East. Batavia's teams get better every game, even when they start out very good.
"We feel like we have all of the pieces of the puzzle, one through 15, and they're fitting together pretty well. That's why we are where we are record-wise, but we still have a lot of work to do."
North enjoys a mix of veterans and youth, led by 6-1 senior guard Anthony Delisi and 6-foot-5 junior Kyle King.
Against Batavia, Delisi led the way with 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. He did a little of everything against Bartlett, finishing with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
King dominated on the boards in both games. He had 13 rebounds to go with 14 points against Batavia, including a putback with 12 seconds left that made it a 2-possession game.
Against Bartlett King registered another double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
"I think it's just our team chemistry," King said of the early season success. "We all click together, we all love to be around each other. I mean, practices are fun. We hang out all the time. We love to hang out and get to know each other. It's great to see it all come together like this."
Delisi's backup at point guard is talented 5-10 freshman Luke Scheffers. He made important contributions off the bench in the fourth quarter against Batavia and Bartlett. With North leading by a point against Batavia, Scheffers converted a midcourt steal into a layup, extending the lead to 40-37 with 2:35 left.
"He came in and gave us what he needed and he showed what he can do," St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. "The more minutes he plays, the more impact he has in the game. He's going to be a good one."
North's only loss? Rival St. Charles East beat the North Stars by a point in the title game of East's Thanksgiving Tournament on a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer by Justin Hardy.
"We're a 35-footer away from being undefeated," Poulin said. "The kids believe and they play together. That goes a long way. I told them if you take away the first half (against Batavia), we've been the more focused and more determined team.
"What we've done these first games is impressive, but it's just the beginning. The kids still have a lot to prove to themselves and to everybody out there. They think they can do special things this year."
Rockets refueled: The Burlington Central boys basketball team hasn't missed a beat.
Last year the Rockets set a single-season record with 27 victories and won the Big Northern East title in their final season in that league.
Despite the graduation of all-area center Ryan Fitzgerald, the Rockets are off to a 6-0 start. They opened the season by defending their title at the Sycamore Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Class 3A school claims two Class 4A teams among its six victims. Central defeated South Elgin 66-60 the day after Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, the Rockets knocked off Crystal Lake South 74-59 in the home opener.
The Rockets are doing it with defense. They force 22 turnovers per game and turn the ball over only 9 times. They have limited six opponents to 52 points per game.
"For the most part the five guys on the court have been buying into what we we're doing defensively," Central coach Brett Porto said. "Defense has gotten things going for us."
These Rockets are paced by leading scorer Zach Schutta. The 6-foot-1 junior guard is averaging 17.5 ppg. Against Crystal Lake South, senior point guard TaVontae Harris registered 10 points, 6 assists, 5 steals and 4 rebounds. Junior forward Joey Ratzek (6-2) has posted multiple double-doubles already, Porto said. All three were named to the all-tournament team at Sycamore. Schutta was named MVP.
"Schutta had been outstanding for us," said Central's eighth-year coach. "He's been all over with his offense, his rebounding and help-side defense. And TaVontae has been an excellent closer for us at the point."
Defensively, the Rockets call on 6-1 junior guard Michael Kalusa to guard the other team's best scorer.
"It's a hungry group and they keep getting after it," Porto added. "It's a fun group to coach. It's a group that works really hard and we play pretty fast."
How's that for openers? After eclipsing 1,000 career points last season as a junior, Aurora Central Catholic's Brett Czerak opened his senior campaign with a strong tournament performance.
Named player of the week in the Fox Valley for his efforts, the 6-foot-1 forward led the Chargers (4-1) to the title at Aurora Christian's Burney E. Wilkie Tournament by averaging 24 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists.
Czerak's offensive totals were impressive considering the returning all-area pick is no secret to the opposition.
"He is the focal point of opponents' defensive schemes and has still been putting up big numbers," Aurora Central Catholic coach Nate Drye said. "He has improved every year and this year I look forward to seeing the continued development of his game as he transitions from a scorer to an all-around player and facilitator."