Is anyone ready to be the Class 4A Cinderella?
Is there a Cinderella out there?
It's postseason time for area Class 4A girls basketball teams and while seeds and records might suggest regional champions will be cut and dried, don't try to sell that to a top-seeded coach.
"We're focusing on one game at a time," says Crystal Lake South coach Kyle McCaughn, whose 23-4 team is the No. 2 seed at its own regional. "We can't focus on anyone else until we come out of that first game."
And that pretty much sums up how every team will approach the postseason, which begins Monday.
Here's a look at how area teams are matched up for the upcoming state tournament series.
Jacobs sectional
South Elgin regional: Larkin (2-22) opens regional play Monday with a 7:30 p.m. game against DeKalb, Larkin coach Amy Silverman's alma mater. The fifth-seeded Royals have had one of their toughest seasons in program history and would like nothing better than to salvage some pride with a win over the No. 4 seed Barbs.
Monday's winner gets a date with top-seeded St. Charles North (19-8) in the 6 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. No. 2 seed St. Charles East (12-14) takes on No. 3 South Elgin (17-9) in the 8 p.m. semi. South Elgin has lost its last two after a seven-game wining streak and fell to the Saints 58-40 on Jan. 3. The Saints, though, are just 3-10 since that time.
South Elgin would like nothing better than another crack at St. Charles North, which beat the Storm 43-42 in St. Charles on Jan. 9.
CL South regional: Seeds would say Jacobs is the favorite here, but that's because the Golden Eagles boasted a 49-47 win over CL South at the seeding meeting. The host Gators came back to avenge that loss 54-39 earlier this week. Due to the IHSA's geographic rules the Jacobs sectional has pre-assigned regionals and that means South will have to get past Jacobs (19-9) to win its first regional title since 1993. Jacobs, which won its fourth regional under coach Ed Haugens last season, is the last team to beat South, which has won six straight.
But long before he allows his team to think about a third meeting with the Golden Eagles, South coach Kyle McCaughn has Streamwood (7-18) on the brain.
"Streamwood is a nice opponent and we're focusing on just one game at a time like we have all season," said McCaughn, whose team wrapped up the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title outright Friday night.
"We have some confidence and we're playing well again. The way we've been winning gives us confidence going into the regional that we can take care of business."
The Gators have had a balanced scoring attack all season, but they key that starts the South engine is senior point guard Carly Juliano, whose father Jim, the Larkin athletic director, began his coaching career at Streamwood.
"If you'd have asked me six months ago if Carly Juliano was going to be our point guard I would have said no way," McCaughn said. "She's stepped up and done an outstanding job this season."
Streamwood has had a better season than in the recent past, winning 7 games including a 72-35 thrashing of Larkin on Friday.
The Tuesday play-in game has Elgin (6-18) taking on Dundee-Crown (2-22) with the winner meeting Jacobs on Wednesday.
"We're looking forward to playing Dundee and we think we have a good chance for a win," said Elgin coach Angie Hudson.
Jacobs welcomed back junior forward Katy Cook from injury in its win over Dundee-Crown Friday.
"She adds a lot for us," said Haugens of Cook. "We're anxious to see how we come together the next few days. If the right team shows up we can do some good things. But this time of year, anybody can beat you if you're having an off night."
Woodstock regional: Huntley (16-11), which is in Class 4A for the first time, is the No. 1 seed at Woodstock but Red Raiders coach Steve Raethz won't think about a potential title game next Friday until his team gets past either McHenry or Prairie Ridge, which meet on Tuesday -especially after his team lost to Johnsburg by 27 points on Friday.
"We didn't play to our potential," Raethz said of the Johnsburg game. "We just have to put it behind us and get ready for next week. We've played pretty good basketball the last 12 games but it's a competitive regional. It won't be an easy game Wednesday and if we get past that Friday will be tough. Woodstock has Molly Whiting back and Hononegah has played much better since Christmas."
Woodstock (17-10) is the No. 2 seed. Huntley beat Prairie Ridge twice in Fox Valley Conference Fox Division play and defeated McHenry in a crossover. The Red Raiders also own a pre-Christmas win over Woodstock. Huntley is seeking its third regional title in a row.
Rockford Boylan regional: The host and top-seeded Titans are 27-1, with their only loss to Class 3A power Freeport.
Addison Trail sectional
York regional: Bartlett (16-10) is the No. 7 seed in the AT complex and opens regional play at York against No. 10 seed Proviso East on Wednesday.
"I like playing different teams although it's difficult to scout at times," said Bartlett coach Denise Sarna. "We know Proviso East is fast, scrappy, well-coached and very athletic. It will be a good matchup."
If common opponents mean anything, Proviso East lost to Johnsburg by 17 points early in the season and Bartlett lost to Johnsburg by 3 points at the Dundee-Crown Christmas tournament.
If the Hawks can get past Proviso East, they'll likely see more Hawks in the Friday title game -the Hawks of Hoffman Estates, who at 24-3 and Mid-Suburban League runner-up, bring the No. 2 seed into the postseason.
Undefeated Geneva (27-0) is the top seed in the sectional, Upstate Eight champion Lake Park (23-5) is No. 3, and Fremd is No. 4.