Buffalo Grove faces huge test
Three state-ranked Mid-Suburban League girls basketball teams and Central Suburban North leader Maine West will participate in the 18th annual McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School this weekend.
Buffalo Grove (20-1), the No. 1 team in Class 4A, will face Indiana's top-ranked 4A team South Bend Washington (15-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The two powerhouses are ranked Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, in the ESPN High Elite 25 national poll.
Despite 40 points and 13 rebounds from junior Skylar Diggins, Washington recently had its 43-game winning streak snapped by Lexington Catholic.
Diggins is arguably the best female basketball player in South Bend history. The left-handed shooter is averaging 26 points. She became the school's all-time leading scorer earlier this season, surpassing the 1,635 points set by former Notre Dame star Jackie Batteast.
Buffalo Grove suffered its only loss in the championship game of the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic to Fenwick (19-3), which is ranked No. 3 in 4A. The Bison came back less than a week later to avenge the loss to Fenwick in a nonconference home game.
Class 4A No. 9 Schaumburg, No. 10 Wheeling and Maine West will play on Monday.
The Warriors (15-5) face Hillcrest at 4:30 p.m., followed by Wheeling (18-3) against Montini at 5:30 p.m. and Schaumburg (19-1) against Marian Catholic at 7 p.m.
Marian Catholic was the champion of the Maine West Tip-Off Classic in November with a 5-0 record and are among the teams receiving votes in 4A.