Boys basketball: Scouting St. Viator vs. North Chicago
Vernon Hills Class 3A sectional semifinal
St. Viator (22-6) vs. North Chicago (19-7)
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Probable starters
ST. VIATOR (Coach Joe Majkowski) NORTH CHICAGO (Coach Gerald Coleman)
Player Ht. Yr. PPG Pos. Player Ht. Yr. PPG
Alan Aboona 6-1 Sr. 15.2 G Michael Simpson 5-8 Sr. 15.4
Brendan King 6-1 Sr. 7.0 G Demetrius Starks 5-10 Sr. 14.8
Rich McLoughlin 6-2 Sr. 12.4 F/G Maurice Gordon 5-10 Jr. 8.1
Jack Etchingham 6-3 Sr. 7.3 F Daryle Pearson 6-3 Jr. 9.6
Rich Markovits 6-0 Sr. 4.6 F Mike Hill 6-5 Sr. 3.8
How they got here: St. Viator won its regional by beating Senn 65-46 and Fenton 54-40; North Chicago won its regional by beating Grayslake North 96-63 and Vernon Hills 85-55.
Outlook: The Lions may not have to worry about long possessions but they have plenty of defensive concerns as the Warhawks have hit the 100 mark four times, dropped 95 on Waukegan in a season-opening loss and average 81.5 points a game. "In general they don't spend a lot of time with the ball on offense," Majkowski said of a team that has reached the supersectional the last two years. "They try to attack the basket and they'll shoot some long-range 3s. We have to challenge it and then get the rebound. We can't let them get second shots." And the threats increase depending on the availability of 6-1 sophomore Aaron Simpson (23 ppg, 7 rpg, 3.3 assists per game), who has missed the last four games with a broken left (non-shooting) hand but hoped to return for the sectional. "North Chicago is so quick," Majkowski said. "They're just more relentless with it (than other quick teams Viator has faced). North Chicago never quits no matter what the score is, up or down, and we have to handle that." The Lions, who have never made it to a sectional final, hope that's where their experience pays off as they've won six in a row to set the single-season school record for victories and have played a tough schedule that includes a 2-point loss to Deerfield. Aboona and McLoughlin are third-year starters and King and Etchingham have two years of varsity playing experience to get ready for North Chicago's variety of full- and half-court defenses. "We have to execute," Majkowski said. "Especially on the offensive end and limit our turnovers." Majkowski will start Markovits tonight to give the Lions more ballhandling with 6-4 sophomore Chris Myjak (7.3 ppg) and senior Julian Sipiora the first two off their bench.
What's ahead: Johnsburg (26-2) and 6-6 C.J. Fiedorowicz and star guard Mike Dixon take on Gordon Tech (10-17) in Wednesday's 8 p.m. semifinal. The championship is 7:30 p.m. Friday.