Scouting DuPage County girls basketball sectionals
Class 3A Burlington Central sectional final
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Who: No. 1 seed Montini (32-1) vs. No. 1 Belvidere North (21-8).
At stake: Winner advances to Monday’s 7:30 p.m. Hoffman Estates supersectional vs. Grayslake Central sectional champion (Grayslake Central vs. Johnsburg).
Inside the matchup: To put things in perspective, consider this: Montini is going for its seventh straight sectional title. Belvidere North High School is four years old. The Blue Thunder won its first regional game, and then first regional title, last week. Track star Cetrena Simmons, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, scored a school-record 28 points in the regional final, 21 in the sectional semifinal against Aurora Central. Belvidere North, which had 21 steals Monday, loves to pressure fullcourt. It is maybe not the best idea against Montini and Notre Dame-bound point guard Whitney Holloway, who had 12 assists with 0 turnovers Tuesday, but Blue Thunder coach Michael Bradford said “we are who we are. If you try to change who you are sometimes it sends the wrong message.” “Personally I love when teams pressure us,” Montini coach Jason Nichols said. “It creates tempo.” Nichols won’t let his group get caught looking ahead. “They play really hard and Simmons is an ultra-athletic kid who caught our eyes on film,” he said. “When you play loose and with nothing to lose you can be dangerous.”
Class 4A Romeoville sectional final
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Who: No. 1 seed Bolingbrook (24-2) vs. No. 3 Benet (24-6).
At stake: Winner advances to Monday’s Illinois Wesleyan supersectional vs. Normal Community sectional champion (Moline vs. Edwardsville).
Inside the matchup: Two-time defending 4A champion Bolingbrook has won a record six straight sectionals. Benet was the last team to beat Bolingbrook in sectionals, in the 2004 sectional final. Bolingbrook beat Benet in the 2005 and 2006 sectional finals. The Raiders have won 60 straight games against Illinois opponents. Tennessee-bound senior guard Ariel Massengale is a top-five recruit nationally, and Connecticut-bound junior forward Morgan Tuck is among the top 15 in the Class of 2012. Tuck’s older sister, Taylor, is committed to Illinois. Junior Keiera Ray started for last year’s Waubonsie Valley sectional finalist before transferring to Bolingbrook. Benet is playing its best basketball of the season, 13-1 since Christmas. Leading scorer Sidney Prasse comes in off a 19-point outing against Waubonsie Valley. The big question: How can undersized Redwings posts Ashley Veselik and Nicole Valentine handle the likes of 6-foot-2 Morgan Tuck and burly 6-1 junior Cabriana Capers?
— Josh Welge