With two top-20 teams meeting in the regular-season finale, fans at Riverside-Brookfield expected a great game. They got it, for one quarter.
Then St. Charles East played bombs away in the second, connecting on 7 of 10 3-pointers in the period. The Saints finished 15-for-36 from behind the arc and won the nonconference game 76-67.
No. 11 St. Charles East (23-3) scored 29 points in the second and led 50-34 at halftime. Mick Vyzral and Jake Asquini each made three 3-pointers in the second quarter.
“Once we started hitting we just couldn’t stop,” Vyzral said. “We don’t want to live and die by the 3, but if it comes down to it we’ll hit a couple.”
No. 9 Riverside-Brookfield (24-3) led once at 11-10, and trailed only 21-19 after the first quarter. Vyzral’s 3-pointer with 1 minute, 59 seconds left in the first half completed a 12-0 run for the Saints, putting them up 45-30.
Vyzral and Cole Gentry each scored 23 points for St. Charles East.
“We were taking good shots, all open looks,” Gentry said. “It’s a good preparation for regionals because it will be a similar environment.”
St. Charles East led 71-46 early in the fourth before the Bulldogs made the final score respectable. Sam Johnson led R-B with 23 points, including 19 in a row for his team from the second quarter to the fourth.
Player of the game: Mick Vyzral, St. Charles East, 23 points, 6 3-pointers, 9 rebounds.
Key performers: St. Charles East — Cole Gentry, 23 points; Jack Bronec, 11 points. Riverside-Brookfield — Sam Johnson, 23 points, 9 rebounds; Mark Smith, 13 points.
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