Some Catholic League teams will begin finding out where they stand against Public League teams this week in intriguing early-round matchups in Class AA regionals.
St. Ignatius (17-9) has pulled recent upsets against Catholic League powers Fenwick and Brother Rice. Dunbar (15-8) of the Public Red East is up next in a regional semifinal Wednesday. If St. Ignatius prevails, the Wolfpack will likely play second-ranked Crane for the championship Friday.
Public League Red champ Crane would be a heavy favorite, but St. Ignatius would have home-court advantage and could give the Cougars a scare behind 6-foot-8-inch senior Coley LeClair.
Brother Rice (19-7) will travel to Chicago Vocational on Tuesday to play host CVS (8-14) or Bowen (7-18). Assuming Brother Rice wins in the first round, Robeson (15-10) and superb sophomore Jeremy Pargo probably will be its next opponent in a regional final.
1. West Aurora (23-2): DuPage Valley champ will play host to Oswego or IMSA on Tuesday.
2. Crane (25-0): Cougars travel to St. Ignatius to play De La Salle or Juarez on Tuesday.
3. Hillcrest (25-1): SICA Central champ opens regional play Tuesday against Bradley in Kankakee.
4. Proviso East (22-3): West Suburban Gold champion plays host to Nazareth on Tuesday.
5. Thornwood (20-5): Carver or Washington will visit Tuesday.
6. Fenwick (20-4): Two-time Catholic North champion will be host to Prosser or Austin on Tuesday.
7. Bloom (23-4): Crete-Monee or T.F. South will visit SICA East champ Tuesday.
8. Young (22-3): Makes a short trip to Westinghouse to face Marshall or Clemente on Tuesday.
9. Homewood-Flossmoor (19-7): Plays at Rich Central on Tuesday against Rich East or Lincoln-Way Central.
10. Curie (22-6): Condors are rested and ready for Gage Park or Kennedy on Tuesday at Argo.
11. East Aurora (20-4): Has a regional semifinal game Wednesday against Marmion at West Aurora.
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12. Chicago Latin (26-2): Will play Manley on Tuesday in a Class A sectional semifinal at Westmont.
13. St. Patrick (22-3): Plays at home Tuesday against Kelvyn Park or Steinmetz.
14. Niles West (20-5): Central Suburban South champion plays host to Senn or Taft on Tuesday.
15. St. Joseph (18-7): Will try for 12th straight win Tuesday against Kelly at Morton.
16. Evanston (16-7): Hits the road Tuesday to play Ridgewood or Schurz at Leyden.
17. Eisenhower (21-4): Chris Hobson and Co. will be host to Bremen or Fenger on Tuesday.
18. Neuqua Valley (22-4): Wildcats, 1-2 in their last three games, are host to Bolingbrook on Tuesday.
19. Notre Dame (19-5): Will face Northside Prep on Wednesday at Niles West.
20. Zion-Benton (25-2): North Suburban champion will be host to Antioch on Tuesday.
Best of the rest: Julian, Johnsburg, Lake Park, Schaumburg, Libertyville.
Player to watch
– Colin Falls, Loyola
The Notre Dame-bound senior has led Loyola (16-9) to upsets of Brother Rice and St. Patrick recently and will be on a mission to take the Ramblers deep into the postseason. They play host to Niles North on Wednesday.
Monster matchup
– Latin vs. Manley,
7:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Class A teams will meet in a sectional semifinal at Westmont. Mike Rudoy leads Latin at 23 points a game and J.R. Windfield is scoring 22 a game for Manley (18-11), which beat Jones by 30 for a regional crown.