St. Charles East’s Corinne Reed prefers to go only one speed. And that’s fast.

When the junior guard gets a rebound or a loose ball, she’s gone.

“I love getting that rebound and going,” Reed said. “I’m not a big fan of setting up an offense because you’re going to have a mismatch coming down the floor.”

With her size and athleticism, the 5-foot-9 Reed can be a tough matchup for opposing defenses. She’s just as comfortable bringing the ball up the court or setting up in the post. She can score around the basket, but she can also hit a 3-pointer.

That has helped the Saints (9-1), winners of nine straight, run a diverse offense.

“She can do it all,” St. Charles East coach Katie Claussner said. “It’s great because we have a lot of flexibility whether she’s bringing it up the floor or she’s playing in the post.

“She’s very hard to guard, and she brings that dimension to us.”

Heading into Wednesday’s 43-36 nonconference win at West Aurora, Reed’s 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 blocked shots led the Saints.

Lexi DiOrio is right behind Reed, averaging 11.3 points. And DiOrio’s skills get amplified when Reed is doing her thing.

DiOrio and Reed are tight off the court as well, which helps the chemistry even more.

“It’s really cool,” DiOrio said. “If I get her the ball and she’s head down, going to the basket, I know it’s going in. She’s just an all-around amazing player.

“She’s fun to play with. She’s super athletic.”

That duo has helped the Saints turn things around in Claussner’s first season as head coach. Heading into Friday’s DuKane Conference showdown at St. Charles North (9-1), the Saints are a win away from matching last season’s total.

Claussner, a 2015 St. Charles East graduate, took over the program and immediately tried to change the culture.

“We needed a coach Katie,” DiOrio said. “This staff is the best thing that’s ever happened to this program. Katie came in day one and completely flipped the program. It’s been awesome to see.”

How that manifests itself on the court was on display during a sloppy fourth quarter Wednesday. The Saints saw a big lead cut to five down the stretch.

“I think a big part of it is we’re all willing to stick together no matter what,” Reed said. “At the end, you could tell we got a little out of it. We were able to come back together as a team and say, ‘Hey guys, we need to slow down.’”

Those are some of the traits Claussner wanted to develop in the program.

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“I think it’s just the culture we’ve tried to embody this year, just being a team and coming together when things get rough,” Claussner said. “When things get rough, we have to make sure we’re getting each other’s backs.”

On the court, Reed has turned into the engine. She said she leaves the vocal leadership to DiOrio and Alexis Maridis. She prefers to lead by example.

“I don’t think there is a ceiling for her,” Claussner said of Reed. “The world is her oyster. She has so much potential, and I know she wants it. She just has to keep working at it.”

That will surely lead to interest from colleges. While she said she has a handful of offers, things should pick up on that front after this season and the summer AAU schedule.

In the meantime, she continues to work.

“I just want to take something from every single game, good or bad, improving on myself constantly,” Reed said. “I’m always trying to make myself better any way I can and help my team win any way I can.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.