SOUTH ELGIN – St. Charles North’s boys basketball team practiced against six or seven frenzied defenders at a time in preparation for Friday’s IHSA Class 4A South Elgin Regional championship game against ball-hawking Larkin.

That might sound like a high degree of difficulty, but it still doesn’t measure up to dealing with the real Royals, 5-on-5, under game conditions.

For the third and final time this season, Larkin’s quick feet, quicker hands and proficiency in the open court led to a double-digit Royals win over the North Stars, a 75-64 triumph that left the North Stars with no choice but to salute their Upstate Eight Conference River nemesis.