Boys Basketball: Previewing St. Charles East vs. St. Charles North in Class 4A Elgin Regional final

Here's a look at the Class 4A regional final vs. St. Charles North and St. Charles East

The Matchup:

No. 2 St. Charles North (22-9) vs. No. 3 St. Charles East (24-7)

When: 7 p.m. Friday at Elgin High School

What's at stake: The winner advances to the McHenry sectional semifinal vs. the winner of Hononegah/Rockford East.

Season series: North Stars lead 2-0

Last time they won a regional: St. Charles North in 2019; St. Charles East in 2016.

Should the North Stars win – and see Rockford East on the other side – it sets up a sectional semifinal rematch from last year, when the E-Rabs ended the North Stars season after its first regional title in a decade.

Keys to the game:

- St. Charles North forward Connor Linke: For the North Stars, the offense will flow through their 6-foot-9 big man. Linke clearly draws a lot of attention inside, which then allows guards like Christian Czerniak, Luke Scheffers and Colin Nelson to set up shop on the wing for a three or another drive. Linke, though, is capable of handling double teams and can certainly score. His shot-blocking is another key element down low.

St. Charles East will likely look to counter by forcing Linke into early foul trouble and then continuing using its up-tempo offense on the other end to wear down the North Stars, either through foul trouble or hitting shots of their own. The Saints have plenty of capable candidates in Sean Sullivan, Chase Monkemeyer, Thomas Ditsworth and more.

- Sustaining momentum. It's an obvious one, but truly is critical in this third matchup. In the second game, St. Charles East built a 12-point second quarter lead, but behind Ethan Marlowe and Thomas Kellen, the North Stars were able to surge back, ultimately prevailing.

In the regional semifinal against Streamwood, St. Charles East built an 18-point lead, but it was closed to eight by the half. Thanks to a quick 6-0 run out of the break, St. Charles East flew past Streamwood. This ultimately means that every possession will truly matter.

- Which bench depth will prevail? Both these teams have pretty deep benches, full of speed, shooting and solid defense. For the Saints, Joe Musial brings another gear to the speed and horsepower, while Sean Sullivan can catch red hot from the outside. The North Stars mix the starting lineup some, but has definite size, whether it's 6-foot-7 Ethan Marlowe, 6-foot-5 Thomas Kellen or 6-foot-4 Max Love.

Quotable:

"As coach [Pat Woods] said: 'it's hard to beat a team three times in a row, and if there's a time to beat them, it's this time." – Saints senior forward Chase Monkemeyer following the regional semifinal vs. Streamwood.