This rivalry moving to the big stage
The last time Marmion boys basketball coach Rashon Burno was in the Sears Centre Arena it was to see the defunct Chicago Shamrox lacrosse team.
Saturday he'll be back there in Hoffman Estates, on the sidelines coaching the Cadets against Aurora Central Catholic in the 6:30 p.m. "rivalry game" of the 13th annual High School Hoops Showdown.
"It's a heated rivalry," said Burno, who comes in bringing hotshot forward Mark Peters and hoping he's got someone to guard ACC 3-point ace Joey Guth.
"Both schools feel like they're the better school," Burno said. "I think it's good for high school basketball in general, similar to East and West (Aurora), and it's all based on good competition."
Speaking of East and West Aurora, the latter beat the former Jan. 16 at Northern Illinois University.
West Aurora gets its second straight big-gym Saturday when Gordie Kerkman's crew gets the marquee matchup at 8:30 p.m. against Neuqua Valley. The last time the 1990 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee coached against Neuqua was a 62-53 Blackhawks loss for a 2008 regional title.
"It's going to be a big challenge for us," Kerkman said of facing the 17-1 Wildcats. "Like I told the kids the other night (before beating East Aurora 72-66), the bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity. I hope they can handle the situation just as well."
Bob Rylko, the man behind the High School Hoops Showdown - this triple-header also offers 15-1 Glenbard East against Jacobs at 4:30 p.m. - has said these events bring in an average of about 5,000 persons.
West Aurora's NIU game was in front of an estimated 6,000 people, and Kerkman said the large scale "didn't seem to have any affect on us or East Aurora."
"It's a great opportunity for the kids to play at a major venue like that," he said. "I think it makes the team feel a little more 'big-time.'"
The Marmion-Aurora Central Catholic rivalry is big-time, ACC holding a 34-33 edge in a series that began in 1971. Last season they split two games, each team winning by a point on its home floor.
Tickets ($10 for students 18 and under, $12 for adults and good for all three games) remain on sale at each participating school until the day of the game, and will be located in the specific school's fan section. Tickets sold at Sears Centre the day of the game will not be within the specific fan section.
"It's going to be a little bit different because typically our games are sold out," Burno said. "I don't see us selling out the Sears Centre, so it's going to be a little bit different atmosphere, but it'll be intense nonetheless."
The Marmion-ACC rivalry has changed with the adjustment to the Suburban Christian Conference from the Suburban Catholic. With the teams playing in different divisions, not only will Saturday's game be the sole meeting between the teams, it's a nonconference game.
Regardless, ACC coach Nathan Drye expects his team to be fired up.
"The kids are excited about playing in the (Sears) Centre and, having it be Marmion, it'll be a good atmosphere. They'll be ready to go," Drye said.
Saints setterThe Illinois High School Association's Matt Troha informs us that St. Charles East's Erienne Barry is a finalist for Prep Volleyball.com's freshman of the year award. St. Francis' Kristen Kelsay is a finalist for setter of the year. Results to come later this month.Jam sessionAnyone looking for a more information on St. Charles North junior Josh Mikes can check out his very own Web site detailing his exploits in football and basketball.He should have been assessed a technical on one of his dunks for hanging on the rim. But we're old school, said the writer in his Converse All-Stars.Vikings HallGeneva's Athletic Hall of Fame will salute three more worthies as part of its 10th induction class: Ron Johnson (Class of '50), who went on to become a hall of fame basketball coach at St. Charles (and Kaneland before that); Sarah Landau (Class of '04), the youngest inductee, a two-time state pole vault champ who owns the state record at 13 feet, 3 inches; and Todd Searcy (Class of '83), an all-state football player who later played in the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl for Illinois.These three will receive their plaques during halftime of the Geneva-St. Charles East boys basketball game on Jan. 30, tipoff at 6 p.m.Big leaguerTo follow up Daily Herald soccer writer Orrin Schwarz's piece on Geneva grad Jackie Santacaterina being drafted by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer Draft...Also chosen was Batavia (Class of '04) graduate Sara Teegarden. A 2008 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she was picked in the sixth round by St. Louis Athletica - the team St. Charles North's (and Teegarden's UWM teammate) Erin Kane played with in 2009.Teegarden, who was an assistant coach at Alverno College in Milwaukee last year, helped Wisconsin-Milwaukee to four conference titles, three NCAA tournaments and a 59-16-13 record in her four years. The midfielder shares the school record for game-winning goals (11), and started the most games in school history.