The varsity boys’ basketball team went head-to-head against the Bulldogs of St. Charles at home Tuesday, Jan. 14. The Bulldogs took an early lead, but St. Louis came from behind to win an exhilarating double-overtime thriller.

The Sharks were trailing the Bulldogs by double digits before halftime, but they picked it up the second half. Trae Garcia hit a clutch three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game 48-48, forcing overtime. 

In overtime, St. Louis and St. Charles were head-to-head the whole way with crucial scoring from Garcia to keep the Sharks in the game. The game remained close, however, and the Sharks ended up forcing double overtime after a dagger from Cade Pestrue tied it 56-56.

Pestrue shared, “My heart basically sunk when the ball bounced around the rim, but when it went in it was a great feeling.”

In double overtime, both teams were playing aggressively, and the atmosphere was electric. In the final stretch, St. Charles’ head coach received a technical, which resulted in Pestrue taking the lead for the Sharks with a free throw to make the score 61-60.

St. Louis got the ball back and had an opportunity to pull ahead but missed two free throws. Thankfully, their tough defense kept the Bulldogs from pulling ahead. Senior Noah Prestage sealed the win after an intentional foul from St. Charles resulted in two free throws for St. Louis. This turned into a 63-62 win for the Sharks.

Patrick Hanley said, “It was a very well-fought and tough game, and our boys didn’t give up.”

Pestrue led the Sharks in scoring with 16 points, including four key three-pointers. Additionally, Garcia and Ethan Wilson both added 12 points. Pestrue led in assists with six, and Prestage grabbed five rebounds to lead the team.

Head Coach Doug Knauf shared, “The team’s getting better. We’ve had three close games, and we finally finished and got a good win.”