St. Charles pulls away in the fourth quarter to win the Battle of Bexley

Bexley — Like a cold engine trying to turn over on a winter morning, St. Charles’ season opener against Bexley never quite ran smoothly.

In the latest edition of the Battle of Bexley, the first three quarters were a grind: tough, messy, and hard-fought, more like navigating a snow-covered highway than a clean season debut.

“Shaky,” says St. Charles head coach Mike Ryan. “We were able to hit shots in the second half that we missed in the first half. We want to shoot threes and get the ball inside; we just missed a lot of shots in that first half.”

That shaky play left the Cardinals trailing 32–31 after three quarters, with a winning streak over the Lions on the line. St. Charles had already committed 10 turnovers and managed just three shot attempts in the entire third quarter, a stretch that nearly unraveled their night.

Charlie Koesters took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his game-high 18 points, while Marcus Nathan and Dom DiGiorgio each buried clutch threes to put the game out of reach. Their late surge powered St. Charles past Bexley, 52–40, securing the win in the Battle of Bexley.

St. Charles leaned on its physicality while Bexley tried to win from the perimeter, and that contrast proved decisive late.

The Lions struggled from deep, hitting just 14.3% from three and 32% overall. Meanwhile, the Cardinals outshot Bexley, dominated the glass 37–23, and were nearly automatic at the line, finishing 15 of 17 on free throws.

“Defensively, we were just as physical as possible and made the refs call fouls,” Ryan said. “We needed paint touches on offense. Whether it was Koesters or getting penetration with our drive, we made them stop us inside.”

Koesters finished with a double-double, recording 18 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Liam Nordstrom pitched in 17 points for the Cardinals, who secured another win over rival Bexley in their annual series.

A year ago, St. Charles struggled through a challenging schedule and saw their season end in the playoffs against state champion Westerville North.

This year, the experience of the roster and lessons learned from last season give the Cardinals hope for a stronger showing in 2025-26.

“Guys were really pushing each other in our skill workouts and we had the best weight room since I’ve started here,” Ryan said. “They are a very close group and they hold each other accountable. When they do, it makes them better.”

St. Charles (1-0) travels to Grove City on Tuesday, Bexley (0-2) host Worthington Christian next Saturday.