Girls water polo: Scouting Northwest sectionals
Girls water polo sectional preview
At Barrington
Quarterfinals: Thursday, 4:30, 5:45, 7 and 8:15 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, 7 and 8:15 p.m. Championship: Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Outlook: Fremd made history last season by becoming the first Mid-Suburban League school to earn a trophy in the state finals. The Vikings (27-1) are the top seed here and are focused on at least getting back to the Elite Eight. "We've really had some people step up for us and fill their roles nicely," said Fremd coach Brian Newby, whose team will meet Palatine (2-20), a 15-9 winner Tuesday against Elk Grove, in Thursday's quarterfinals. Other quarterfinal matchups include No. 4 seed Buffalo Grove (14-14) against No. 5 Conant (16-12) at 5:45 p.m., No. 2 seed Schaumburg (16-7) against No. 7 Rolling Meadows (5-15) at 7 p.m. and host Barrington (No. 3 seed, 14-7) against Hoffman Estates (6-17) at 8:15 p.m. The winner will meet the UIC sectional champ in the state quarterfinals next week at Stevenson.
At Glenbrook South
Quarterfinals: Thursday, 4:30, 5:45, 7 and 8:15 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, 7 and 8:15 p.m. Championship: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Outlook: Mid-Suburban East runner-up Prospect (16-7) drew the No. 4 seed and will meet No. 5 Glenbrook North (13-10) in the quarterfinals. A victory would likely earn the Knights a semifinal date with top seed Loyola (20-10) on Friday. St. Viator (9-16) got the No. 7 seed and will meet No. 2 seed New Trier (20-9) in the quarterfinals. The sectional winner will meet the Lyons sectional champ in the state quarterfinals next week at Stevenson.
At Vernon Hills
Quarterfinals: Thursday, 4:30, 5:45, 7 and 8:15 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, 7 and 8:15 p.m. Championship: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Outlook: Mid-Suburban East champ Wheeling (17-6) drew the No. 3 seed here. If the Wildcats win their quarterfinal against Libertyville, they'd likely get a semifinal against No. 2 Stevenson (17-13). Another win in the semis would likely put them opposite top seed Mundelein (23-6), a team against whom the Wildcats were competitive in the regular season. "We feel like we've got a chance," said Wheeling coach Bob Savitt, who team gave a solid performance against Fremd in the MSL title game and recently beat New Trier, the No. 2 seed in the Glenbrook South sectional. Hersey (18-6), the MSL East's third-place finisher, is the No. 4 seed and will meet No. 5 Deerfield in the quarterfinals. The sectional champ will face the Neuqua Valley sectional winner in next week's state quarterfinals at Stevenson.