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DESALES 53 | ST. CHARLES 49 DeSales foils St. Charles comeback try
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Central Catholic League basketball fans pay $5 to sweat profusely,
shout until their throats become raw and feel their hearts beat like snare
drums.
Sometimes they even faint, such as last night when DeSales needed four
free throws by guard Ronnie Smith in the final 38.6 seconds to hold off
St. Charles 53-49 before a standingroom crowd in DeSales’ gym that
doubled as a dry sauna. A woman passed out with four minutes left but
walked out with some assistance.
"You just never know what to expect in this league because the
teams are so close and so tough," Stallions center Joe Schmall said.
This season, there is excitement and uncertainty. At the midway point,
Watterson leads with a 4-1 record, followed by DeSales, St. Charles and
Rosecrans at 3-2 and Ready at 2-3.
"The team that wins this league must take care of its home turf
and win some games it’s not supposed to win," DeSales coach Dan
Garrick said. "There’s so much parity."
St. Charles coach Wally Teeters said his team can win the title if his
players start believing in one other.
"We had a heart-to-heart talk after the game," he said.
"Tonight was a good example of believing in your teammates. When you
play against a good basketball team on the road in a hostile environment,
if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?"
The Cardinals (7-4) didn’t start thinking they could win until it was
too late. The Stallions (8-4) built a 37-21 halftime lead on a sweet
inside-outside combination of Schmall, a 6-foot-6 senior, and guards
Jonathan Stone and Smith.
That’s when the parity of the CCL came into play. DeSales came up
empty on six of its first seven possessions of the third quarter. St.
Charles, which pressed and fought for every loose ball, pulled to 48-39
with 3:31 left after back-to-back steals by Peter James that resulted in
layups by James and Adam Rohletter.
"In the first half, we were playing within ourselves. No one was
trying to do too much," said Schmall, who totaled 12 points, nine
rebounds and five blocked shots. "Then their pressure got to us and
we tried to sustain the lead instead of attacking."
Smith bailed out the Stallions, who scored eight points the final six
minutes, by making two free throws with 38.6 and 25.6 seconds left.
Teeters said the Cardinals almost face a must-win home game against
Watterson next Friday.
"This is a very balanced league and the team that plays balanced
and under control will win it," he said. "Our players have to
play with their hearts. If we do that, we’ll be all right." |
