The face of Dublin Scioto boys basketball has changed, and the mustache and goatee that coach Tony Bisutti is sporting is merely the starting point.

The Irish still pass with precision, take charges, trap the ball-handler and get their share of second-chance points.

What has changed occurs near the end of quarters when five - count them, five - players report to the scorer's table. Four are sophomores.

"I've never done this - ever," Bisutti said. "I was hesitant at first. Then I watched them this summer and said, 'I just wonder.' Then I said, 'OK, we're going to do it.' We're able to pressure teams by extending the floor. We have so many guards."

Bisutti's weird science continued to pay off last night when Scioto scored 17 of the first 19 points in the second quarter and went on to smack Big Walnut 61-35 in an Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division game at Scioto.

Austin O'Connell, a 6-foot-4 starting forward, led the Irish (4-0, 2-0) with 16 points. The No. 2 scorer was sophomore guard Rainer Duzan with 11 points. Marco St. John, another super sub, was next with six.

Starting forward Kelly Winter, a senior, can't complain about losing minutes. After all, Bisutti has won three OCC titles since 1998.

"This lets us press more and we always have fresh legs," Winter said. "I was a little leery about it at first, but now I'm fine with this. The system is working. There's not much of a drop when the second team comes in."

The Irish were leading 12-6 with 1:38 left in the first quarter when Bisutti put in the second team. He subbed five for five with 2:34 left in the second quarter, with 3:54 left in the third quarter and with 4:38 left in the fourth. The subs put away the Eagles (3-1, 1-1) with a 13-1 run at the end of the third quarter for a 52-20 lead.

What makes the system unique is that assistants Don Jantonio and Jim Naab coach the second team during practice.

"I just can't do it by myself because we're not running the same stuff for the substitutes," Bisutti said. "We've tried to mix some of them (with the first team), and we've got mixed results. I like what we're doing. We have a mixture of vets and rookies. The great thing is if somebody isn't getting it done, we won't hesitate to go with somebody else. We have competitive practices."

On most teams, Duzan would be fighting for table scraps or even be playing junior varsity. He's enjoying this system.

"We started subbing five for five during the summer, and we played really well together," Duzan said. "Everybody is fighting for playing time and our practices are really physical. It's making us a better team. We're learning how to press and help out. Coming off the bench was hard at first, but I've gotten used to it. I understand my role."