St. Charles East can't overcome second-half drought
The picture within the game appeared to favor St. Charles East.
With 6-foot-7 Cody Mitchell commanding the paint, the Saints played DePaul Prep even for 20 minutes of play.
Mitchell revealed a sophisticated offensive game in hitting jump shots on the perimeter and using his size to score inside. He scored 12 of the Saints' first 18 points and helped St. Charles East hold a 5-point first half advantage.
Into the middle of the third quarter, Mitchell kept the Saints stride for stride with the Rams. His layup with 4:22 remaining in the third pulled the Saints within 33-32.
Then the wheels came off.
The Saints suffered a nearly six-minute scoring drought pushing into the fourth quarter and the Rams pulled away with an 11-0 run that shaped the Saints' 56-44 loss in the quarterfinals of the Hinsdale Central Christmas Classic Thursday.
Lance Mosley hit five 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 21 points to lead the Rams (11-1).
Mitchell and senior guard Nate Ortiz proved the Saints' only effective scoring threats in scoring 19 points and 15 points, respectively. The rest of the team shot just 4 of 17.
"I think when we fail to score, I think we tend to lose our identity," Ortiz said. "I think we stray away from what is working offensively. We did a really job of feeding Cody inside and getting out shots. Then we got frustrated by their pressure and got knocked out of our offense."
Ortiz's steal and layup with 6:55 remaining broke the drought. His 3-pointer from the left wing pulled the Saints within 48-40 with 2:16 remaining.
St. Charles East (8-6) never got any closer.
"A big part of our struggle (offensively) was trying to handle their double teams and pressure," Mitchell said. "I think we got a little flustered with how they trapped the ball screen and then we did not really know where to go."
St. Charles East generated strong scoring chances. The Rams' quickness and athleticism proved difficult to negotiate at the rim.
"I thought we had some good looks, but we just did not finish," St. Charles East coach Pat Woods said. "We have to be better with the ball. They were very athletic and they were pressuring the ball well. They were creating havoc with their traps."
The hot outside shooting of Mitchell and Ortiz paid off in the first quarter. The Saints shot just 2 of 7 on 3-point attempts in the final three quarters. DePaul Prep's patient and deliberate game took St. Charles East out of its rhythm.
St. Charles East now moves to the fifth-place bracket against Willowbrook on Friday at 3:45 p.m. The Saints are on the verge of creating an impressive body of work. Playing one of the state's top-rated Class 3A programs tight for nearly three quarters signals a team close though not quite there.
"I think we are growing and getting better every day," Mitchell said. "You can only say that for so long before you have to be there. Check out the calendar and it's almost 2019. I'd say we are a really good team with a ton of potential but we have to get to that potential."