Marmion takes momentum into postseason

Come state tournament time, basketball teams are advised to take a page from the football playbook.

"We just want to go 1-0," football coaches often say.

Marmion aligned with that train of thought in late January. Winning eight of their last 10 games the Cadets captured the top seed at the Class 3A Illinois Math and Sciences regional, part of the Rochelle sectional.

"We've kind of taken the approach the last couple weeks that each game we've played is the most important game on our schedule," said Cadets coach Joe Currie.

Aside from IMSA, which Marmion has not played, dating back to December the Cadets are 6-0 against the four other regional opponents - No. 2 St. Francis, No. 3 Glenbard South, No. 4 Aurora Central Catholic and No. 5 Montini.

Winning its first conference title since the 1974-75 season in the old West Suburban Conference, Marmion (17-11) went 2-0 against both St. Francis and Montini in the final year of the Suburban Christian Conference.

The 3A IMSA regional is not as cut and dried as that 6-0 record.

"I think it's a much tougher regional than maybe people thought it was going to be," said Currie, 10 years old when Marmion last won a conference title. "Every one of these games could come down to the last couple possessions."

That's kind of been the way it's gone, which makes this regional a tough call.

Headed by the one-two punch of season-long leaders Jake Esp and Ryan Glasgow, plus Matt Fletcher's game-winning 3-pointer, Marmion escaped 47-44 over Glenbard South (14-12). Marmion's edge was just 7 total points in two floorburn wins over St. Francis (15-11).

Sophomore ace Brett Czerak and Aurora Central Catholic (12-14) lost 67-58 to Marmion on Feb. 21 yet the Chargers were within a play or two of seizing control. Czerak, a guard who scored 21 points, 24 and 32 his last three games, enters the playoffs with the hottest hand.

While ACC was losing to the likes of Geneva, Neuqua Valley and Chicago Prep at the East Aurora Holiday Tournament, they knew that experience would help down the line, as in the Chargers' 2011 and 2012 regional titles.

"If we get going I think we have just as good a chance as anybody to win," Chargers coach Nathan Drye said. "I think multiple teams are thinking they have a chance to win a regional."

At Marmion in December, rugged forward Mike Mooney and Montini (3-25) lost by 20 (the Broncos' margin over IMSA on Feb. 24). On Jan. 23, the day that started Marmion's current 8-2 run, the Cadets edged Montini 52-48.

"There's really not a lot of statistical or on-floor production difference between, really, the top four seeds," said St. Francis coach Bob Ward, whose Spartans enter the playoffs on an 8-3 roll. Guards Gabe Johnson, Jason Sullivan and forward Mike Shaw head the Spartans.

Glenbard South, which beat ACC last year at the 3A Kaneland regional, has similar momentum with wins in 10 of its last 12 games including 46-44 over ACC in the Metro Suburban Conference.

A look at Glenbard South's scoring reveals a balanced offensive attack. Tyler Scott, Povilas Raiuba, Kyle Carli and the 6-foot-5 Bair brothers, Charlie and Billy, all average between 7.5 and 12 points.

"Overall it's pretty wide open," said Raiders coach Wade Hardtke, repeating this party's line. "We see ourselves there with everyone else. We've all seen each other or played each other a bunch. Whoever's playing best at the end is going to win it. It's certainly competitive from top to bottom."

Class 3A Burlington Central regional:

Kaneland, which won its own regional last season on Drew David's jumper at the buzzer to beat Marmion, is the No. 3 seed at Burlington Central, which also feeds into the Rochelle sectional.

Kaneland coach Brian Johnson sounded like one of the IMSA regional coaches.

"It's really evenly matched," said Johnson, who has won regional titles two of the last three seasons. "I'd say there's not a real consistent top dog."

Joining Kaneland (12-15) are: No. 1 Hampshire (15-11), No. 2 Burlington Central (14-14), No. 4 Genoa-Kingston (15-11), No. 5 Sycamore (9-17) and No. 6 Wheaton Academy (5-21).

Hampshire claimed the top seed based mainly on a 54-51 nonconference win over the Big Northern East's Burlington Central on Dec. 6, in which the Whip-Purs rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit.

Hampshire coach Bob Barnett, an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, announced on Feb. 23 that after 13 seasons with the Whip-Purs and 28 overall as head coach, he's retiring after this season. This cannot be underestimated as a motivating factor.

"Hampshire has the best record coming in and they play the best competition," Johnson said.

Top players include Burlington Central guard Andrew Wiss and 6-foot-5 junior Ryan Fitzgerald; Hampshire's 6-5 Tuttle brothers, Luke and Jake, and senior forward Matt Bridges; Genoa-Kingston guard Tommy Lucca, who averaged 27.5 points at the Plano Christmas Classic; and Sycamore sophomore guards Jack Mizgalski and Ty Sulaver.

"They're not really playing like sophomores anymore," Johnsons said.

Wheaton Academy, the lone outsider from the Metro Suburban, has had an un-Wheaton Academy-like season. One year removed from a 20-win season and returning guards Drew Sandberg and Christian Smith, forwards Jake Lindstedt and Evan Williams, the Warriors' 5 wins are their lowest since 1968.

A sixth victory, over Kaneland in Monday's regional quarterfinal, would make that spell a much more palatable 2004. Johnson certainly isn't counting his chickens before they hatch.

Led by juniors Ryan David and Dylan Vaca and senior guard Connor Fedderly, Kaneland must reduce turnovers and play better defense particularly against the fast break.

"Our goal is to keep teams in the upper 40s," Johnson said.

Class 4A West Aurora regional:

Yes, West Aurora is the sixth seed in the East Aurora sectional, and stands a decent chance of playing No. 3 Wheaton North in a March 4 regional semifinal.

At home, however, West Aurora is 8-0 this season.

"I would think that it would help. I hope that would help," said Blackhawks coach Gordie Kerkman, who won his 800th game on the road Feb. 20 at South Elgin. He won No. 801 in a 65-35 victory Wednesday against No. 16 seed Waubonsie Valley, which opens the playoffs Monday at West Aurora against the Blackhawks' ancient nemesis, No. 19 East Aurora.

Wheaton North (19-5) and West Aurora (18-8) are the top two teams at East Aurora, but wily coach Jeff Powers' No. 11 seed Naperville North (15-10) - which plays No. 22 Glenbard North (3-21) on Monday - must be honored. The Huskies beat Wheaton North 47-44 on Feb. 20, after the playoff seeds came out.

No. 19 East Aurora (8-18) beat both Waubonsie Valley (10-16) and West Aurora, 70-67 on Feb. 14, the Blackhawks' sole loss to a sub-. 500 team.

"I didn't think we played quite that bad, but we didn't play as well as we have on other occasions," said Kerkman, seeking the program's 40th regional title.

There's the rub. Getting Illinois State-bound forward Roland Griffin, forwards Tommy Koth, Camron Donatlan and Drake Spears and guards Matt Dunn, Marquis Howard and Reggie Jordan to play each game with the goal of going 1-0.

"We're a little bit inconsistent," Kerkman said, "which at tournament time you can't afford to be inconsistent."