The real high school basketball season doesn’t start for another month, but Lake County fans have a chance to see many of the top stars in action Sunday when the Let’s Play Hoops high school league holds its season-ending playoffs at the Libertyville Sports Complex.
Action will start at 4:50 p.m. and should be over around 10. The cost to watch all of the games is $3.
Among the teams that will be playing are Zion-Benton and defending Class 4A state champion Stevenson.
Zion-Benton is 5-0 in the league and has played like a team that wants to supplant Stevenson as Lake County’s best.
Of course, the Patriots are 6-0 in the league and are now led by 6-foot-6 junior Justin Smith and brothers Rodney and Willie Herenton, who transferred to Stevenson from Young in Chicago during the summer.
The other unbeaten team so far is Lake Zurich (6-0). One-loss teams include Elk Grove and Deerfield, along with an all-star team.
Waukegan is 4-2 but has a 50-22 loss to Z-B on its fall resume. Warren is 3-4.
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Waukegan’s first game Sunday is at 5:45 p.m. against Conant.
Not playing in the Let’s Play Hoops league is area power Lake Forest. North Chicago also chose not to play.
Girls volleyball: Libertyville will take a 17-match winning streak into Class 4A state tournament play, with the latest win a 25-22, 23-25, 25-18 decision over Wauconda in the North Suburban Conference championship game.
The result completed a 16-year run of dominance by the Lake Division against the Prairie Division in the title game.
This is the last year for division play in the NSC and thus the last year for a championship game between the division champs. Next year, Wauconda will be playing in the new North Lake County Conference.
The 16 straight victories by the Lake Division champ include Libertyville’s six titles (2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015). Stevenson won five times, Lake Zurich and Mundelein twice each, and Lake Forest once.
Libertyville (27-5) beat Wauconda (27-6) three times this year.
The IHSA playoffs start next week, and Libertyville, which finished second in last year’s tournament, is the top seed in a sectional it is hosting. Stevenson, Lake Forest and Wauconda are the other top-four seeds.
Wauconda caught the worst possible break for the state tournament. With an enrollment of 1,347, Wauconda is the smallest school in the Class 4A field. Galesburg, with 1,346 students, is the largest school in the 3A field.
In Class 3A, Marian Central, St. Viator and Antioch are the top three seeds in Marian’s sectional.
Field hockey: The state playoffs are underway, with New Trier and Lake Forest on their usual collision course to meet for the championship.
In first-round action, Lake Forest (16-3) beat Naperville North 12-0, and New Trier beat Stevenson 10-0.
The quarterfinal games are next Tuesday, the state semifinals are Thursday, and the title matchup is Saturday at New Trier.
Last year, New Trier beat Lake Forest 2-1 in overtime to win the title.
This year, New Trier and Lake Forest split their two games.
Lake Forest won the state title in 2012 and 2013.
Boys soccer: Top-seeded Warren and eighth-seeded Waukegan will play at 3 p.m. Saturday in Mundelein in the final of a Class 3A regional.
Warren advanced with a 2-1 win over Hersey, and Waukegan routed Mundelein 4-1.
Despite the seedings, Warren and Waukegan played two weeks ago, and Waukegan (12-2-4) thumped Warren 3-1.
The winner of Saturday’s game will play next at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Stevenson, with Wheeling the likely opponent. Wheeling is the fourth seed in the sectional.
Also on Saturday in 3A regional finals, Libertyville is playing Palatine at 4 p.m.
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