St. Joseph and Bogan want to be like York and Oswego.
For real.
After losing to the first-place team in their respective conferences twice during the regular season, York and Oswego turned the tables on Glenbard West and Minooka, respectively, in the sectional semifinals this week.
Just like York and Oswego, from a basketball perspective, are no St. Joseph and Bogan, Glenbard West and Minooka are no Fenwick and Morgan Park.
Class 3A is our best hope for an exciting state tournament next weekend, and a Morgan Park-Fenwick semifinal would be a great start.
More Top Picks Best Waterproof Chelsea Boots Womens
Can St. Joseph beat Fenwick despite two previous double-digit losses? Can Bogan end its six-game losing streak against Morgan Park, which includes two 3A playoff meetings?
Yes and yes.
Will they? I’m going with no on both counts.
The warm-up act will be the headliner in Peoria as Class 4A takes a backseat to Morgan Park, Fenwick, Belleville Althoff and the team Althoff beats in the state semifinals.
Here’s a more detailed look at how the undercard is shaping up.
NIU SUPERSECTIONAL
Benet (28-3) vs. York (20-12) at East Aurora: It’s not that Benet is untalented. Everybody Gene Heidkamp puts out there can play. It’s just that none of them are stars even on the high school level. York is a less talented Benet. The Dukes went all Benet on Glenbard West in the sectional semifinals, holding Justin Pierce to just seven points in their 41-32 upset victory. Not surprisingly, Benet put the clamps on Hinsdale South, which got 18 points from Barret Benson but had nobody else in double figures in the Redwings’ 60-43 semifinal victory. Can York out-Benet Benet? The Dukes jumped out to a 17-4 lead they held for three-and-a-half quarters when Benet beat York 51-46 on Dec. 8. Under 100 appears likely again. Benet 54-44.
Joliet West (20-9) vs. Oswego (19-9) at Lockport: Joliet West’s regular-season victory against Benet notwithstanding, the winner of this game is going to lose to the Redwings in the supersectional. Class 4A Final Four teams don’t go 8-6 in conference, especially in conferences that don’t have another sectional finalist. In Oswego’s case, that fair-to-middling conference record was at least in part a byproduct of injury, though the Panthers did lose their final three Southwest Prairie games — all in overtime — with Malique Ross in the lineup. Ross and the Panthers have looked like a different team since, winning all three of their playoff games by double digits, including a 55-38 victory against Southwest Prairie champion and Lockport Sectional top seed Minooka on Tuesday night. Oswego 61-57.
ISU SUPERSECTIONAL
Simeon (27-3) vs. Thornton (25-3) at Bloom: As good as Thornton’s record is, as well as they played in handling Crete-Monee with relative ease Wednesday, there’s no question Simeon is a prohibitive favorite here. There may be more future Division I players on Simeon’s roster than the rest of this sectional combined, and the Wolverines have responded to every challenge they’ve faced, including a fourth-quarter deficit to Marian Catholic on Wednesday. Thornton guard Sam Taylor III is the captain of my all-underrated team. He’s on the small side at 5-11, but he has the speed, handle and jumpshot of a Division I point guard, plus the intangibles that don’t always get factored into the recruiting equation. Simeon has a guy like that too, though I’m told that Evan Gilyard is not 100 percent after rolling his left ankle Tuesday for the fourth time this season. But Simeon also has a pair of senior scorers (Zack Norvell, Josh Thomas) who have come up big time and again in their three-year varsity careers. Simeon 69-62.
Alton (16-10) vs. East Moline United (23-6) at Collinsville: Neither of these schools are anywhere near Normal. This is relevant because Simeon had to play Normal in Normal before a few thousand Normal fans in this supersectional last year, and Normal’s 64-50 upset robbed the state tournament of a Simeon-Stevenson showdown. This year’s 4A tournament lacks a potential dream matchup, but as much as Benet is able to get the most out of its ability, Simeon will be in the championship game for the eighth time in 11 years. East Moline United 60-58.
NORTHWESTERN SUPERSECTIONAL
Kenwood (22-4) vs. Curie (24-5) at Riverside-Brookfield: There’s no reason to think the fourth meeting between the Public League Red-Central rivals won’t come down to the final possession. The first three did. There’s Simeon-level talent in these programs, but both lack the signature postseason victory that would really put them on the map. I went with Curie the last time they played because, as a rule, when in doubt I go with the better guards. Offensively, though, 6-6 Kenwood forward Nick Robinson plays like a guard, and the Broncos were at their best in their 52-51 victory against Curie in the Public League semifinals when Robinson was used to break pressure and get Kenwood into its offense. Kenwood has been the more impressive team so far in the postseason. While Curie struggled to get past Young in the sectional semifinals, Kenwood made a statement with a 10-point victory against a Proviso East team that caught fire in the regionals. Kenwood 61-59.
Deerfield (28-3) vs. Notre Dame (24-6) at Glenbrook South: If you’d like, go ahead and dismiss Deerfield’s 17-game winning streak because the Warriors don’t play in a strong conference, but I guarantee Tom Les and his Dons won’t make the same mistake. No, Deerfield did not face the kind of schedule Notre Dame did, but that became irrelevant when Deerfield beat Evanston in the CSL crossover championship game and knocked off defending 4A champion Stevenson in the sectional semifinals. Notre Dame was far better in its victory against Evanston on Tuesday night than the Dons were earlier in the season, and the emergence of junior Jeameril Wilson gives them the athletic wing they really needed. Both teams are extremely well-coached, and I fully expect whoever emerges from this toss-up to give the Kenwood-Curie winner fits at Northwestern. I’m going with the one with the size to beat those teams, record another win in the state semifinals and take on Simeon for the state championship. Notre Dame 68-65.
SEARS CENTRE SUPERSECTIONAL
Lake Zurich (24-9) vs. Conant (22-6) at Fremd: I said in my 4A tournament preview that the Lake Zurich-Lake Park regional winner would take the sectional, which was essentially a no-confidence vote in the Mid-Suburban League. I kind of believe in Conant though, even if the Cougars’ three easy postseason victories to this point have come against other MSL teams. I’m a big fan of Lake Zurich point guard Nick Penny, and Nick Meyer can really play too. I don’t like to contradict myself once I’m on record, but my gut says this is the time to do so. Conant 45-42.
St. Charles East (18-12) vs. Rockford Auburn (23-6) at Rock Valley College: It will be interesting to see how well the St. Charles East folks travel, because Auburn could have a significant home-court advantage here. There’s also a big program advantage. Players come to Auburn with the expectation of playing in games like this. East, meanwhile, is playing with house money. The Saints are also playing good ball, with two double-digit victories against Batavia in their five-game winning streak and a 68-46 victory against Prairie Ridge in the sectional semifinals. This is a big step up in class and a tall order though. Auburn 67-59.
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.