Wednesday’s slate of conference championship games closed the door on league play for the 2014-15 boys basketball season. Now, attention can be turned to the postseason, or as the culture calls it, March Madness.
This shapes up to be one of the more intriguing playoff seasons in several years. Two area teams — Stevenson and Lake Forest — snagged the top two seeds in the Class 4A Waukegan Sectional. Two others — Class 4A Barrington and Class 3A Vernon Hills — are No. 1 seeds in their host sectionals.
As the calendar turns to March, teams want to be playing their best basketball. Which ones are peaking at the right time? Here’s a breakdown of how some of the area’s best teams are trending before the second season begins Monday.
Class 3A Vernon Hills Sectional
Vernon Hills (No. 1 seed): The Cougars enter the postseason after an appearance in the North Suburban Conference title game. Although Vernon Hills lost to No. 2-ranked Stevenson, 60-39, it led after one quarter and outplayed the Patriots for long stretches. Expect Robby Nardini, a 22-point-per-game scorer, to bounce back from an 0-for-13 shooting night against Stevenson. Trending: Up
Class 4A Barrington Sectional
Lake Zurich (No. 4 seed): The Bears caught a break when the IHSA put them in the Barrington Sectional and away from North Suburban Lake foes Stevenson and Lake Forest. It’s been a decade since the Bears surpassed this year’s win total of 22 in the regular season. Trending: Up
Barrington (No. 1 seed): Not even the most optimistic Broncos fans saw this season’s prolific run of success coming. Barrington capped a Mid-Suburban League West regular-season title by winning the MSL title game over Hersey on Wednesday. That milestone hadn’t been achieved since 1979. Rapolas Ivanauskas and Co. are clear favorites to win the school’s first sectional title since 2001-02. Trending: Up
Class 4A Waukegan Sectional
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Highland Park (No. 7 seed): A surprise regional champion a year ago, the Giants brought back almost their entire roster in 2014-15. Paul Harris is one of the better defensive coaches in the area. The Giants are winners of six of their last eight but only one win (against St. Joseph) came against a team with a winning record and both losses (to Niles North and Lake Zurich) were to winning teams. It’s possible this team peaked a season ago. Trending: Sideways
Deerfield (No. 6 seed): It’s a luxury for a team when it can add a college prospect late in the season. That’s just what happened when 6-foot-9 senior center Jack Lieb returned to the Warriors’ active roster in February from a knee injury suffered last summer. Although limited, he gives the Warriors a post presence to go with shooters Joey Lane, Nick Zwart and Sam Kuznetsky. Trending: Up
Lake Forest (No. 2 seed): The Scouts have lost only two games this season, both to Stevenson. They feature three players — Evan Boudreaux, Steve Vogrich and Lorenzo Edwards — in the starting lineup 6-7 or taller, creating matchup nightmares for opponents. Lake Forest’s last nine wins have come by an average margin of 19 points. Trending: Up
Stevenson (No. 1 seed): It’s impossible for a team with Jalen Brunson and Connor Cashaw on its roster to be trending down. But recent games show the Patriots are not playing as well as they were in December and January. Brunson said after Wednesday’s North Suburban Conference title game, a 60-39 win over Vernon Hills, he had to “call out” his teammates for listless play. Coach Pat Ambrose is expressing concerns over the Patriots’ lack of consistent offensive rhythm. While still the sectional favorite, the Patriots are not invincible. Trending: Sideways
Basketball this weekend
Can’t wait for the postseason to start? The area features triple-headers Saturday and Sunday with several of the top private schools in the Midwest and one from the East Coast. The Tri-State Prep Classic features Lake Forest Academy, St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy (Wisconsin), Indiana Elite Prep, Midwest Elite Prep (Indiana) and Don Bosco (New Jersey). Games are at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest. Tickets are $10 per day, $5 for students. The schedule is as follows:
Saturday
St. John’s Northwestern Military vs. Indiana Elite, 1 p.m.
Lake Forest Academy vs. Midwest Elite, 3 p.m.
Don Bosco vs. Midwest Elite, 5 p.m.
Sunday
St. John’s Military vs. Midwest Elite, 1 p.m.
Indiana Elite vs. Midwest Elite, 3 p.m.
Don Bosco vs. Lake Forest Academy, 5 p.m.