Is a Glenbard East-Neuqua sectional rematch in store?
Glenbard East and Neuqua Valley have waited more than two months for a rematch of their Elgin Holiday Tournament title game showdown.
Even though the DuPage County powers represent the top two seeds in the Class 4A Neuqua Valley boys basketball sectional, a rematch is anything but a given.
As the Class 3A and 4A postseason gets set to begin Monday, the field at Neuqua Valley appears deeper than ever.
While No. 1 Glenbard East (24-1) is the clear favorite - especially with its 81-63 win over Neuqua Valley at the Elgin tourney - the Rams are taking nothing for granted as they seek their fourth regional title in six years and their first sectional title since 1964.
"Tuesday's the most important game of the year," said Rams coach Scott Miller, referring to their Willowbrook regional semifinal game against the winner of Monday's game between Wheaton North and the host Warriors.
"Our kids are smart enough and they've been around long enough to know that if you lose, you're done," he said.
Glenbard East's four returning starters - Zach Miller, Lee Skinner, Jack Merrithey and Johnny Hill - take turns leading a potent offense. Miller and Merrithey are 3-point machines while 6-foot-7 Skinner controls the post and Hill does a little bit of everything.
It's a tough matchup for any team in the sectional but, despite the earlier loss to the Rams, second-seeded Neuqua Valley (25-2) has the talent with Dwayne Evans, Kareem Amedu and Rahjan Muhammad.
With Evans nursing an Achilles' tendon injury and the Wildcats dropping last week's game to Oswego East, the sectional's fifth seed, the road suddenly looks tougher for the Wildcats as they vie for a third straight sectional championship.
"It comes down to the little things like defense, rebounding and executing offense," said Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton. "That's what we didn't do (against Oswego East), and that's why we lost. We didn't play defense, rebound, or execute the offense."
If you're looking for defense, No. 3 Benet (22-3) and No. 4 Naperville North (20-6) are the teams to watch.
Benet's turned into a tremendous story the second half of the season as the Redwings ran the table in the East Suburban Catholic Conference to claim the program's first conference title since 1995.
A trio of juniors - Dave Sobolewski, 6-10 Frank Kaminsky and Matt Parisi - lead the Redwings, who are allowing a mere 42 points a game.
Emerging from the Geneva regional won't be easy. If the Redwings beat the winner of Monday's game between Glenbard North and Downers North, a title game would await against No. 6 Downers Grove South or possibly the host Vikings.
Benet's tough regular-season schedule should pay dividends.
"We understand the parity in our sectional," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp, whose team last season nearly knocked off Neuqua Valley in regional play. "Anybody can beat anybody, and we almost proved that last year."
Naperville North's size advantage allowed the Huskies to surge to a 20-win season under first-year coach Jeff Powers. Frontcourt talent featuring 6-10 Austin Peay-bound Matt Hasse, 6-6 Joe McNicholas, 6-5 James O'Shaughnessy and 6-6 Matt LaCosse makes for nightmarish matchups for opponents.
Thirteen times the Huskies have allowed 45 points or fewer. Whether in the half-court or in transition, they're ready to key off their defense.
"What makes us go is defense, and because of that I think we've got as good a shot as anyone," Powers said.
If the Huskies advance to the Waubonsie Valley regional final they may face No. 5 Oswego East (22-4) and Jay Harris, perhaps the sectional's top player who scored 38 points against Neuqua Valley. The Wolves have the kind of hot hand they can ride to beat any team in the field.
Seventh-seeded East Aurora (17-9), led by its own star in Ryan Boatright, also has immense individual talent and will give No. 10 Naperville Central a hard time before possibly facing Neuqua Valley in the Plainfield East regional final.
If No. 8 Wheaton Warrenville South (19-7) hits from the perimeter with Reilly O'Toole, Will Dolatowski, Travis Kern and others, the Tigers - averaging seven 3-pointers per game - could topple Bolingbrook in the Willowbrook regional semifinals before a potential third game against Glenbard East.
As rugged as the Neuqua Valley sectional appears, though, the subsequent Hinsdale Central supersectional against the Lyons Twp. sectional champion looks even tougher. Aside from the top-seeded Lions, the field includes Mt. Carmel, Bogan, Simeon, Morgan Park, Chicago Vocational, Hyde Park and others.
Elsewhere in Class 4A, York (18-8) looms as a dark horse as the ninth seed in the Proviso East sectional. Stuck in the Whitney Young regional with the top-seeded Dolphins, however, the Dukes must play at their peak to have a shot at their first regional title since 2006.
A similar daunting task awaits Wheaton Academy in the Class 3A Riverside-Brookfield sectional.
The Warriors (24-2), seeded fourth, boast the immediate advantage of hosting their first regional in program history. Local rival St. Francis possibly awaits in the regional semifinals, and a matchup with No. 5 Riverside-Brookfield could come in the final.
"In the community it's a great game," Warriors coach Paul Ferguson said about a St. Francis showdown. "If it does come down to us against R-B, that's an interesting matchup. They're very guard-orientated, with four guards and a 6-foot-5 post. They are about an exact opposite of us."
Top-seeded Marshall, St. Joseph and North Lawndale also pepper the Riverside-Brookfield sectional, not to mention No. 6 Crane.
Behind 6-9 William and Mary-bound Tim Rusthoven, the Warriors need to muster every bit of their talent to win a second straight regional title and compete for the program's first sectional crown.