St. Charles Knocks Off #3 Caledonia

The St. Charles Saints knew they would have to play one of their best games of the year to take down the #3 ranked team in the state, and they did just that. The Saints took down the Caledonia Warriors 79-75 in St. Charles on 103.1 KFIL.

It was a battle of undefeated teams. St. Charles, 10-0, and Caledonia, 8-0.

Tied at 75 with 1:47 left in the game, the Saints went to work. Keagan Maloney drew a foul and hit a free throw to give St. Charles a 76-75 lead with 52 seconds to go. Owen King drove to the lane and got called for an offensive foul. It was his fifth and took him out of the game.

The Warriors were force to foul, and the Saints were able to hit a couple free throws to go up three, 78-75, with 23 seconds to go. The Warriors got a decent look from deep, but couldn't convert, and the Saints went on to close out the game.

St. Charles was led by junior Drew Leistikow, who finished with 24 points and an unofficial 18 rebounds. Leistikow's performance on the glass was incredible and a huge energy boost to the team.

Kaden Vaughn hit five 3s to finish with 17 points, and all five of them brought the crowd to their feet.

The Warriors had to weather the storm early, trailing by as many as 14 in the first half. Caledonia was able to slow the game down a little bit, and start to get looks they liked. Owen King facilitated the offense, and started to get some great looks for himself, finishing the game with 23.

The Warriors ended the first half on a run of their own, to tie things up at 36, but Sam Holtz was able to hit a layup before the buzzer sounded to give the Saints a 38-36 lead at the break.

The Warriors had a great start to the second half, taking a 45-43 lead early, but St. Charles answered right back, and lead by as many as nine, 56-47, in the second half.

It was one of the more entertaining games of the season, and the atmosphere was electric. Sophomore Noah King also registered his 1,000th career point in the loss for the Warriors, an incredible accomplishment!

If these two squads meet in the Section Tournament, you will not want to miss it!

KFIL Subway Player of the Game (Caledonia) - Owen King

KFIL Subway Player of the Game (St. Charles) - Drew Leistikow

Kingsley Mercantile Game Ball (St. Charles) - Kaden Vaughn