St. Charles Fast Start Leads The Way Past PEM

The #4 seeded St. Charles Saints started on a 17-0 run to open up a big lead on #5 seeded Plainview-Elgin-Millville en route to an 81-69 win at the Mayo Civic Arena in the Section 1AA Playoffs.

It was Kegan Maloney and Sam Holtz right out of the gate for St. Charles, pushing the Saints on that 17-0 run, but Barron Holtz was not going to let the Saints get away with the big lead for long.

The Bulldogs' senior was sensational, leading the squad with 32 points, and cut the lead down to 8 late in the first half. The Saints were able to rebound a bit, and take a 44-33 lead into the half.

St. Charles excelled in transition, and Sam Holtz and Maloney were big keys in that. The two guards pushed the ball quickly up the floor off of misses and turnovers and wasted no time attacking the rim.

The Saints spread the floor and were able to attack, leading to Maloney's 24 points and Holtz's 17.

In the second half, the Bulldogs worked to cut the lead down. The Saints were able to keep them at bay for the majority of the second half, but the Bulldogs pressure started to force some turnovers late.

St. Charles led 70-55 with just under 7 minutes left, but the Bulldogs were able to make it 75-67, and looked to have a chance. The Saints were able to hit some free throws down the stretch to take down the Bulldogs 81-69.

Barron Holtz finished with 32 and Joe Irish added 20 for PEM, while Maloney had 24 and Sam Holtz had 17 for St. Charles. Nolan Boice added 14 points and 10 boards for a double-double for the Saints as well. In his 24-point effort, Maloney notched his 1,000th career point, an incredible accomplishment!

The Saints move on to take on #1 seeded Caledonia in the Subsection Title Game on Saturday at the Mayo Civic Auditorium at 5 pm.

KFIL Subway Player of the Game (PEM) - Barron Holtz

KFIL Subway Player of the Game (St. Charles) - Kegan Maloney

KFIL Subway Player of the Game (St. Charles) - Sam Holtz