Looking back at holiday tourneys, looking ahead to a marquee matchup
No sooner did the 2008 basketball season end with West Aurora's three straight wins at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, the 2009 schedule is going to start with a bang.
The last area unbeaten boys or girls team - Geneva's girls - will put its 14-0 record on the line tonight against a Batavia team that has only lost once.
Bragging rights between the rivals will be at stake, along with first place in the Western Sun Conference. Last year Batavia beat Geneva both times in conference play, and also at the Oswego Holiday Tournament, before the Vikings got their revenge with a regional win.
While the Vikings and Bulldogs coming into this game at a combined 23-1 is certainly impressive, their success isn't unexpected. Both teams were coming off big years and returned most of their key players.
Geneva's boys team at 14-1? That might cause a few more heads to turn.
The Vikings are winning big under first-year coach Phil Ralston, with tournament titles at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It certainly promises to be an interesting 2009 for Geneva, who will try to follow up sweeping the Western Sun in the fall with a pair of basketball conference championships.
That might be the next goal, but it isn't the biggest one.
"We haven't won a regional in 22 years and we're trying to change that," senior guard Christian Frederking said.
Building to the postseason was a common theme from the teams over the break. Playing as well as they could at their respective tournaments was important, but not all they had in mind.
"In all honesty, it is what we are doing now that matters, but I'm concerned about improving the entire season because that will further us later on down the road," girls coach Katie Sauber said after the North Stars' fourth-place finish at Dundee-Crown.
Among those whose stock is on the rise - Aurora Central boys. Like Geneva, the Chargers only have 1 loss. They certainly brought a lot back from last year's SCC and regional-winning squad, but it has been impressive how well they have played without last year's graduated superstar Mark Adams.
Coach Nate Drye likes the Waubonsie Valley tournament so his team can go up against bigger competition. For the second straight year, ACC passed the test with flying colors.
After an opening loss to Oswego East, the Chargers took down a pair of DVC schools and one from the Upstate Eight: Glenbard North, Naperville North and Waubonsie Valley.
The past couple weeks taught us we're going to have some pretty good basketball teams to follow in 2009. We'll learn a lot more in January, starting tonight with the Batavia-Geneva girls and followed by the Batavia boys playing in the Rock Falls shootout, Geneva taking on both St. Charles North and St. Charles East and several intriguing conference races, especially in the SCC and Western Sun.
There could be a lot more nets to be cut down.
jlemon@dailyherald.com