Hampshire, Wave split up in new system
The Illinois High School Association earlier this week released assignments for the girls basketball postseason's first foray into the 4-class system and there were a couple of surprises.
In Class 2A, Hampshire and St. Edward, who played each other for a Class A regional championship last year, were split up.
Hampshire will be a regional host in sub-sectional B of the Oregon sectional. Forreston will be the other regional host with Byron, Genoa-Kingston, Lena-Winslow, Oregon, North Boone, Rockford Christian Life, Rockford Christian, Stillman Valley and Winnebago also in the field.
St. Edward, meanwhile, was sent east and will be in the Lisle sectional complex. The Green Wave, who advanced to the Class A Elite Eight last year, are in a sub-sectional that includes Driscoll, Aurora Christian, ACT Charter, Chicago Douglass, Providence St. Mel, Timothy Christian, Lisle, Walther Lutheran, Plano and Westmont. Timothy Christian and Plano are the regional hosts.
Here's a look at where area teams will be in the other three classes.
Class 4A: The Hononegah sectional complex is split into four already determined regionals due to the IHSA's new format that calls for any sectional outside the 7-county Chicago area to have its teams preassigned to a regional. Even though the Fox Valley is within the 7-county area, the Rockford area is not.
Jacobs has been assigned to the Rockford Jefferson regional along with DeKalb, Rockford Auburn, Rockford East and Jefferson while Larkin will host a regional that includes the Royals, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles East, St. Charles North and Streamwood. Prairie Ridge will also host a regional including Dundee-Crown, Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South and McHenry.
Coaches may not like being in regionals where it's all other teams from their own conferences, but prior to the days of sectional complexes that's always the way it was.
"I feel like I've come full circle," said 25th-year Dundee-Crown coach Joe Komaromy. "This is how regionals were when I started."
Also in Class 4A, Bartlett will host a regional within the Lake Park sectional complex. That sectional field also includes top teams such as Fenwick, Geneva and Schaumburg.
Class 3A: Burlington Central and Huntley have been assigned to the Kaneland regional along with Aurora Central Catholic and Sycamore. The Kaneland regional is part of the Rochelle sectional complex, which includes regionals at Rock Falls, Marengo and Yorkville.
Class 1A: Westminster Christian will be a regional host in one sub-sectional. Elgin Academy is also a part of the sub-sectional with Westminster, Earlville, Hinckley-Big Rock, LaMoille, Newark, Ohio, Paw Paw, Indian Creek, Somonauk and Serena, which is the other regional host. The sectional host has yet to be determined.
U-46 woes:ŒThe five girls basketball teams in District U-46 are not off to a banner start. In fact, through Tuesday's games, the five U-46 teams had a collective record of 2-25, with South Elgin owning both the wins.
Elgin-Larkin: The only Elgin-Larkin girls game of the season is tonight at Chesbrough Field House at 6 p.m., prior to the Elgin-Larkin boys game.
Both Elgin coach Angie Hudson and Larkin boss Amy Silverman are looking forward to tonight's game after starting the season with tough Thanksgiving tournaments at Geneva and Hinsdale South respectively.
"We're definitely looking forward to the Larkin game," said Hudson. "They're our big rival and they don't have some of the people they had last year. We're expecting a good battle."
Elgin has been led early this season by sophomore Ellen Holton while senior Alyssa Burns has been the constant for the Royals.
Hudson says taking care of the basketball has been the Maroons' nemesis in their 0-6 start.
"We have to cut down on our turnovers," she said. "We have a young team but they get the ball and act like it's a hot potato. They get nervous."
Silverman, whose team played Dundee-Crown Wednesday, hopes the experience the Royals got at Hinsdale South will help them as the Upstate Eight Conference season begins tonight.
"Hinsdale South is a tough tournament but it gets us ready for the conference," she said. We got some experience there and each game we learned something."
Silverman, now in her 13th year at Larkin, says that while five U-46 schools may diminish some rivalries, this is still Elgin-Larkin.
"It's still the rivalry," she said. "It's not like it was when I came here but it's still a rivalry. It might have lost a little of its feel the last few years but on the day of that game you can look at the kids and know right away that it's an Elgin day."
Larkin has won 9 straight games in the series and 10 of the last 11.
Good teammate: Hampshire's Kristy Pfaffinger was quick to come to a teammate's aid at the Geneva tournament. As the Whip-Purs were heading into overtime against Wheaton North, forward Kelsey Watson ended up with blood on her jersey.
"I usually carry an extra jersey but we didn't have one that day," said Hampshire coach Sue Ellett. "So Pfaffinger stepped right up and said 'you can have my jersey.' "
Pfaffinger couldn't have done that the next day when starting point guard Gianina Estocado got into foul trouble. Pfaffinger came off the bench for the Whips and did a good job in the team's win over Antioch.
Added twist: Hampshire coach Sue Ellett credited assistant Brian Gilbert for installing some offensive twists this season that allow the Whip-Purs to spread the floor a bit.
"Brian has really done a good job at putting in some things that have allowed me to get out of my routine," Ellett said.
Smart players: Ellett is pleased with her team on the floor as well as in the classroom. For example, junior Cassie Dumoulin ranks No. 1 in her class.
"They're all smart kids and that makes it easier to coach," Ellett said.