HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  Building a New Tradition of Basketball at Its Best
 

2021 GAME SEVEN RECAP: HINSDALE CENTRAL vs. ST. CHARLES EAST

Box Score

HINSDALE, Ill. – Tournament host Hinsdale Central shot its way past St. Charles East 72-57 with a barrage of three-pointers in game seven of the 2021 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

Both teams were firing away from beyond the arc early and often. More than half of the field goal attempts in the first half were three-pointers, and the players combined to hit 13 of 30 (43.3 percent). Trent Warren did the most damage for St. Charles East, hitting 4 of 8 from long range en route to 13 first-half points. His trey at 19-14 in the second quarter gave the Fighting Saints their largest lead of the game. The Red Devils ultimately took a 27-25 lead into halftime thanks to a three by Benjamin Oosterbaan, who had nine points at the break. 

Hinsdale Central expanded its advantage in the third quarter with Emerson Eck nailing a trio of three-pointers. By the time the fourth quarter was set to begin, the home team was ahead 44-37. 

A technical foul on St. Charles East proved crucial midway through the final period. A regular shooting foul combined with the technical netted a total of six points on Hinsdale's possession. The Red Devils made all four free throws, then scored a layup to stretch their advantage to 57-45. 

The lead reached as high as 18 points when St. Charles East began to foul more often to get the ball back. Hinsdale Central shot 23 free throws in the quarter, making 15. Warren was still bombing away and hitting tough shots in the final couple minutes for the Fighting Saints. But the deficit never dipped below double digits.

Hinsdale Central made 40.4 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from beyond the arc (14-31) and 61.5 percent from the charity stripe (16-26). Eck hit 6 of 9 threes to lead the team with 22 points and also added three steals. Evan Phillips dished out eight assists and scored 12 points of his own. Jake Quast finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Hinsdale Central dominated the boards by a 40-28 margin.

St. Charles East converted 37.5 percent of its field goals, 30.6 percent of its treys (11-36) and 62.5 percent of its free throws (10-16). Warren tied the tournament record for three-pointers in a game with seven. He finished with 28 points.

Next up for Hinsdale Central (6-4 record) will be DePaul Prep  in Thursday’s quarterfinal at 8:30 p.m. St. Charles East (0-10 record) will play Glenbard East in the consolation bracket on Thursday at 2:00 p.m.