Boys basketball: Barrington sectional final
Boys basketball
Class 4A Barrington sectional final
No. 1 Warren (25-3) vs. No. 3 Mundelein (26-7)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Head coaches: Mundelein: Dick Knar (eighth season, 136-109); Warren: Chuck Ramsey (19th season, 402-141)
Mundelein probable starting lineup: F Chino Ebube (6-3 Jr.), F Cliff Dunigan (6-2 Jr.), F Sean O’Brien (6-5 Jr.), G Robert Knar (6-1 Jr.), G Nate Williams (5-9 So.)
Warren probable starting lineup: F Darius Paul (6-8 Sr.), G Mitch Munda (6-4 Sr.), C Nathan Boothe (6-9 Sr.), G JoVaughn Gaines (6-4 Sr.), G Jameris Smith (5-10 Sr.)
Road to the sectional final: No. 3 Mundelein def. No. 16 Zion-Benton (70-57) and No. 11 Lake Zurich (82-65) in the Zion-Benton regional, def. No. 2 St. Viator (92-88) in the Barrington sectional semifinals; No. 1 Warren def. No. 15 Hersey (65-50) and No. 8 Stevenson (51-47) in the Stevenson regional, def. No. 5 Lake Forest (51-35) in the Barrington sectional semifinals
Outlook: It’s a rematch of last season’s sectional final on the same court, where Warren overcame a 30-point effort by Robert Knar to win 63-55. Warren will be trying to make it three wins in as many tries against Mundelein this season. The Blue Devils won 61-45 at Mundelein on Dec. 9. and 87-78 at home on Jan. 28. Several Warren players, including center Nathan Boothe, guard Jameris Smith and forward Darius Paul, got Mohawks in time for the start of the state tournament last week. Paul’s shortly cropped hair means you can barely see his. His play on the court has been more conspicuous. The captain of the Daily Herald’s Lake County All-Area team (see Sports Extra), he had 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks and 6 assists in Tuesday’s win over Lake Forest. The Blue Devils led only 20-19 at halftime before using an 11-2 run to start the third quarter and take control. The burst has been typical of them. “We’ve been playing in spurts,” coach Chuck Ramsey said. ... In the teams’ two regular-season meetings, the 6-9 Boothe, who has four inches on Mundelein’s tallest starter, 6-5 Sean O’Brien, scored 19 and 23 points, respectively. The 6-8 Paul missed the first Mundelein game, then had 30 points (his career high) in the second contest. ... Against St. Viator on Wednesday night, Mundelein hit 90 points for the second time this season. The Mustangs scored 110 points in a win in San Diego over Christmas break. Forward Chino Ebube scored a career-high 29 points against St. Viator, while O’Brien just missed a triple-double (24 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists). Knar added 25 points but was an uncharacteristic 7 of 13 from the foul line.
Advancement: winner plays in the Northern Illinois University supersectional, 8 p.m. Tuesday, against the winner of the Dundee-Crown sectional final between Rockford Auburn and Elgin.