After watching his team’s nine-point lead whittled to three in the first three-plus minutes of the third quarter, St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin called a timeout to talk things over.

Message received.

Senior Cooper Mellican scored nine of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter, then tallied the first six points of the fourth quarter, as the North Stars (10-15, 4-6) built a 14-point advantage over St. Charles East (2-23, 0-11).

The North Stars snapped a three-game losing skid with a 56-45 DuKane Conference triumph – their third victory in as many meetings against the Saints.

“Our execution wasn’t there, our energy wasn’t there,” Poulin said of the slow second-half start. “Our halftime was about making sure we re-establish ourselves in the first three minutes.

“We didn’t have energy to start the third quarter, and we’ve got to figure out why.”

Getting the ball inside to Mellican certainly helped.

The 6-foot-5 forward scored in a variety of ways, driving to the basket and finishing with authority, while making life difficult for the Saints’ defenders.

“Having the big guy put them in foul trouble was advantageous for us,” said Poulin, who recorded his 300th career coaching victory. “Cooper kind of righted the ship. He consistently has great games. He’s had an incredible season. I don’t know where we’d be without him.”

“I have to be aggressive,” said Mellican, who added seven rebounds while making all 10 of his free throws. “When our team needs some energy, as a senior leader, I have to be someone who brings that.”

Mellican made a believer out of Saints coach Rob Klemm.

“Mellican is a fantastic basketball player,” said Klemm, whose team dropped its seventh straight. “He’s tough all over the court. He can do anything on the court, which makes him difficult to guard.

“We had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on enough of them.”

Led by senior Peyton Faidley’s team-high 16 points, the Saints trailed by three and four points several times in the third quarter but would draw no closer.

Shooting 4 of 20 from beyond the arc and 9 of 22 at the free-throw line didn’t help the Saints’ cause.

“We missed 13 (free throws) and it was an 11-point game,” said Klemm. “The guys are playing incredibly hard. They’re doing everything that they can do to try to win a game. We needed to make a couple more plays tonight.”

The Saints also received a boost from reserves Ryan Possin (10 points, three rebounds, two steals) and Vince Strada (nine points, four rebounds, two steals).

“Through the course of it, they’ve stayed together,” said Klemm. “We just keep working to try to put them in position to be successful.”

Jake Love finished with 13 points, while Braden Harms added nine rebounds and four steals for the North Stars.

“We have our moments both ways,” said Poulin. “We’re working on being consistent and doing what wins.”

The 300-win mark is nothing new for Poulin, who reached the milestone as North’s softball coach last spring, but still a memorable achievement.

“It feels good,” he said. “It makes you remember everybody who played here. The relationships are what it’s all about.”

Prior to the game, the North Stars honored longtime assistant basketball coach Kevin Harrington (1993-2026), who is retiring at the end of the school year.

“I was very excited today to recognize him for everything he has given this community,” said Poulin.