It’s on now.
The three remaining area boys basketball teams have their sights set on Friday night regional title games.
Metea Valley is one of the hottest teams in the state, but will still need to win its 10th straight game in order to win a regional title.
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The Mustangs (17-12) will have to knock off top seed, Lyons (23-5), in the Class 4A Proviso West Regional championship.
Limiting senior guard Harrison Niego will be crucial if the Mustangs hope to register the upset, but they’ll also have to contain his younger brother, Connor Niego, as well as Jaquan Phipps and Danny O’Malley.
“They don’t have many weaknesses. Just a solid team led by Harrison Neigo, their All-State candidate who is a very good shooter,” Mustangs coach Bob Vozza said. “Plus, he’s surrounded by good offensive threats. They’re fundamentally sound defensively, coached well and do a great job. That’s why they’re a No. 1 seed.”
Defense has allowed the Mustangs to reverse their early woes. They were just 8-12 after their first 20 games.
“We were kind of up and down at the beginning of the season and then a lull during Christmas,” Vozza said. “They’ve turned things around and are playing with confidence. It’s a nice situation to be in now.”
It’ll be just the second time the Mustangs have played for a regional title in the program’s brief history. They won in 2012. The seniors understand what’s at stake, and Nick Dodson, Ron Edwards, Mark Konkle and Bryson Oliver all have been big contributors.
“It’s a good close-knit group that set goals at the beginning of the year,” Vozza said. “Things didn’t go well at the start, but it’s a great testament to them to get to where they’re at now. With the amount of talented teams around here, to get to a regional championship is quite the accomplishment, so it’s good to be back.”
Top-seeded Neuqua Valley is shooting for its eighth regional title. The Wildcats take on Minooka in the 4A Joliet West Regional championship game.
The interesting thing about the Wildcats (25-4) is they haven’t had many close games. Only twice have their games been decided by four points or less. Still, the Wildcats are an impressive 9-1 in games decided by nine points or less, with the only loss coming to Bartlett in mid-December.
They’ve proven they can win games in the fourth quarter and beyond, rallying past a very good Geneva team in late December and closing out the regular season with a gritty win against Bartlett and an overtime victory against Plainfield East. Next up is Minooka (15-15).
Senior Demond George has shown he can create with his defense and he’ll look to do so against Minooka freshman Keegan Graebner and sophomore Jon Butler. The Indians had no problem beating Joliet West earlier in the week, getting 32 points from Joe Butler and 17 from Larry Roberts.
Similar to the Wildcats, Minooka can heat it up behind the 3-point arc but it can also be its worst enemy.
Unlike Neuqua Valley, Benet has had a season filled with thrilling finishes.
The Redwings (22-7) have played 10 games decided by five points or less and are 5-5. They’ll take on York (17-12) in the 4A Glenbard West Regional championship.
Benet beat the Dukes 39-31 in early December, but that was a long time ago and the Dukes played without their best player, Jayvon Thomas.
“We know they’re a capable team and that every game we play is going to be a dogfight,” Benet junior Danny Sobolewski said. “We don’t have a 6-10 kid to throw it to and get wins. Every night we have to bring it.”
Chris R. Walker is a freelance writer.