Using depth and sharing the ball across the board on offense, the St. Louis Catholic basketball team has started the season on a hot streak.

The Saints are 5-0 for the first time since starting the 2019-2020 season 10-0 and are ranked No. 1 in the most recent Select Division II power ratings.

St. Louis is scoring 70 points a game, nearly double their output last season, after they switched to a modernized version of the four-out, one-in offense that head coach Rob Acord described as “fast-paced and free flowing.”

“We are sharing the basketball so much better than probably any team that I have ever had,” Acord said. “It has really been a balanced attack.

“We put in a new offense this year and we have preached over and over again about sharing the basketball. Our guys really enjoy playing with each other and really like each other and that is a big deal in today’s game.”

Three starters average more than eight points a game, point guard Nic Devall (13 ppg), forward Ram Durousseau (12 ppg) and guard Joe Devall (8 ppg), and they can draw from a deep bench. Freshman Dreylon O’Key, a versatile 6-foot-4 guard, leads the team in scoring coming off the bench at 21.5 points a game while 6-5 senior forward Clay Williams averages eight a game.

Nic Devall and senior guard Alex Goodwin combine to average nearly 11 assists per game to keep the offense fueled.

“We feel like we have a plethora of ball handlers now, especially with O’Key at 6-4 being able to handle the ball,” Acord said. “We are tough to press now because we have so many ball handlers.

“They get a thrill out of moving the basketball. On Tuesday, we really moved it well and were able to score against Lafayette Renaissance. Other than our Hall of Fame game, it was probably our best game of sharing the ball. We are getting better every week with that.”

The sharing isn’t limited to the offense. The Saints have greatly improved their rebounding. Durousseau averages nine rebounds a game while Goodwin and O’Key average more than five a game.

“The five of them (Durousseau, Goodwin, O’Key, Nathan Ughovwa, and Williams) give us a real good inside presence,” Acord said. “We have really been able to beat people on the boards. We focused on being more physical in the offseason and we have definitely been the more physical one through the first five games. We have been able to rebound really well. That has been one of our biggest strengths.”

Their strengths and weaknesses will be tested this weekend at the Madison Prep tournament where they will face powerhouse Scotlandville today and Comeaux on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, we are very aware that they are very physical,” Acord said of this weekend’s opponents. “Our strength has been rebounding, and we will have to rebound against Scotlandville.

“Comeaux is going to make the game hectic. They run a 1-2-2 press, so we are going to have to make sure we take care of the basketball. It is an area that we feel like we still need to improve on even though we are 5-0.”