Boys basketball/Scouting the Class 4A New Trier sectional final
By Marty Maciaszek
No. 15 Schaumburg (18-11) vs. No. 4 Niles North (23-6)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: New Trier East campus, Winnetka
PROBABLE STARTERS
SCHAUMBURG Coach: Matt Walsh NILES NORTH Coach: Glenn Olson
Player Ht. Yr. PPG Pos. Player Ht. Yr. PPG
Javon McDonald 5-11 Sr. 15.3 G Malachi Nix 5-6 So. 9.4
Kyle Bolger 6-1 So. 8.1 G Sam Sharples 5-10 Sr. 2.0
Christian Spandiary 6-3 Jr. 9.6 F Mychael Henley 6-1 Jr. 4.5
Kurt Kempema 6-4 Sr. 5.7 F Cassius Bell 6-1 Sr. 6.5
Jimmy Lundquist 6-5 So. 8.4 C/G Abdel Nader 6-6 Sr. 25.2
How they got here: Schaumburg beat No. 19 Glenbrook South 46-31, No. 2 Evanston 58-51 and No. 7 New Trier 49-46 to win the Evanston regional and beat No. 11 Niles West 56-48 in the sectional semifinal. Niles North beat No. 13 Lake Park 57-51 and No. 5 Glenbrook North 69-65 to win the Glenbrook North regional and beat No. 1 Notre Dame 74-60 in the sectional semifinal.
Postseason history: Schaumburg is making its second straight sectional final trip, fifth since 2004 and 12th overall (3-8 record). The Saxons won the Class AA state title in 2001, were fourth in 1999 and made the Elite Eight in 2006. Niles North is making its first sectional final appearance. The Vikings won their other regional title in 2000 and lost to Gordon Tech and future Northwestern star Jitim Young 47-36 in the sectional semifinals.
Outlook: Two teams look to stay red hot as Central Suburban League champion Niles North is 15-1 since a 61-50 loss to Notre Dame for the Wheeling Wildcat Hardwood Classic title and Mid-Suburban West tri-champion Schaumburg is 9-1 since a 40-39 loss at the buzzer to Conant. “They play solid defense, they’re very disciplined and they’re very well-coached,” said second-year Niles North coach Glenn Olson, whose team has set a school record for wins. “They’re good at what they do and believe in what they’re doing right now … just as we believe in what we’re doing right now. You have two pretty confident teams stepping on the floor with two different styles, but both teams hang their hat defensively.” Schaumburg’s half-court man-to-man will be tested by one of the state’s best in Nader, who was contained for nearly three quarters Tuesday but finished with 22 as he fueled the Vikings’ 35-19 fourth quarter. “Niles North will certainly be the best team we’ve played in the postseason so far,” said second-year Schaumburg coach Matt Walsh. “They are a terrific team. Nader may be the most talented player we’ve faced with his ability to handle the ball, shoot the ball and post up and he affects the game on the defensive side in the paint.” McDonald and Bolger will need to handle a more frenetic, scrambling defensive pressure from the Vikings, whose guard depth includes one-time starter Montreal Sykes, Andre Shaw and John King. “They have great quickness with their guards,” Walsh said. “We’ll have to handle their pressure and we certainly have to rebound.” The insertion of Bell in the starting lineup coincided with Niles North’s second half where its only loss is to Hersey. “It helps when the big kid starts hitting shots,” Olson said of Nader in Tuesday’s win over Notre Dame. “But during that run he made three great passes and led us in assists. He’s going to shoot a lot but he’s also recognizing when to give it up. He’s a tough matchup for everybody.” The Vikings also got 15 points from Nix with big efforts off the bench from 6-4 Earl Washington (12 points) and Shaw (11 points). Schaumburg also had a balanced effort led by McDonald’s 20 points with 12 from Bolger and 10 apiece from Spandiary and Kempema as it raced to a 22-2 lead and held on with 17-for-18 free-throw shooting. “What Schaumburg did early on was ridiculously impressive,” Olson said.
What’s next: The winner advances to Tuesday’s supersectional at 7:30 p.m. at Waukegan against the winner of the Barrington sectional final between Warren (28-3) and Mundelein (29-4).