High school basketball fans from all around the Chicagoland area packed the Marist High School gymnasium last Friday night for one of the biggest nights of the year for both Marist High and Nazareth Academy – and no, not for the Nazareth-Marist boy’s varsity match (although that turned out to be a fantastic game), but more for the annual Student Council Basketball Game that took place at halftime. One of the most important matches of the year for both schools, the Marist Redhawks again defeated the Nazareth Roadrunners 6-0 to lengthen their winning streak to three and further increase their bragging rights.

Marist started out the game with a quick layup to give them a 2-0 lead. Superb defense from junior shooting guard Madi “Ankle-Breaker” Lozanoski and center Carl “Blue Mamba” Robst held the Redhawks to a lengthy scoring drought, but not one even close to being longer than that of Nazareth’s.

“We’re currently enduring a 2-year scoring drought,” said forward Sydney Stancik, a walk-on turned starter. “I mean, we did shooting drills and studied scouting reports for weeks. I don’t know what’s going wrong.”

Perhaps Ruben Gonzalez’s 13 turnovers, 8 fouls and 4 missed layups could have something to do with that. But the team leadership of “RG3” is something that simply cannot be replaced.

“Ruben does all  the little things right,” said Robst. “If you need someone to dive for a loose ball, grab the 50-50 rebound, or take a charge, he’s your guy. He plays to the STUCO offense and knows the playbook better than anyone.”

A pair of Marist free throws and a fastbreak layup was the dagger for Nazareth Academy, as the game ended with a final score of 6-0. Although they lost once again, participating in the STUCO game is a victory in itself. The quality of the game and relentless heart of the players is what makes STUCO ball far and away the best brand of basketball in the West Suburbs. With another year of practice, the Roadrunners will be looking for their first STUCO victory in franchise history – and with four of the five starters expected to return for next year, don’t be surprised if the STUCO Roadrunners make some noise in 2015.