Boys basketball notes: Benet sectional looks like a gauntlet; Glenbard West favorite at St. Charles East

There’s nothing quite like the Illinois High School Association’s postseason boys basketball tournament.

Whether you call it February Frenzy or March Madness, regional action tips off next week at a high school gym near you.

One of the state’s best Class 4A sectional fields is at Benet, where top-seeded Bolingbrook (27-4) faces a daunting task against the likes of Waubonsie Valley (28-1), Benet Academy (24-5), Downers Grove North (23-8), and West Aurora (19-8).

Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley, Downers Grove South, and Naperville Central are also at Bolingbrook.

“Our sectional is always one of the most loaded in the state, especially at the top, and it’s a shame that we also feed into one of the other toughest sectionals in the state (Collinsville),” said Warriors coach Andrew Schweitzer. “We have eight of the top 15 ranked teams in the supersectional. The IHSA needs to find a way to balance sectionals more.

“Some of these other sectionals aren’t even close to the level of competition.”

Led by Tyreek Coleman and Moses Wilson, Waubonsie has posted a 55-4 mark over the past 2 years. After winning a regional title last season, the Warriors are looking for additional hardware.

“Experience is huge this time of year,” said Schweitzer, whose team could face Neuqua for a third time in the regional championship, with a possible sectional semifinal looming against Benet.

“If your kids have been there before, no moment is too big for them, and they know what to expect. We will prepare our tails off and control what we can control.”

Benet, shooting for its fifth straight regional crown, counters with a lineup featuring Jayden Wright, Blake Fagbemi, Daniel Pauliukonis, and 7-foot junior Colin Stack.

“You have to play well to advance,” said Redwings coach Gene Heidkamp, whose squad placed second in the state in 2023. “Our sectional is very strong.

“We have tried to play a difficult schedule to put ourselves in position to compete against the excellent teams in our sectional. It’s important to always keep your poise, but especially during the state tournament. We hope our previous experience over the last two years helps us do that.”

At St. Charles East, the 18-team sectional field features top-seeded Glenbard West (23-5), DuKane Conference champion Geneva (25-4), Wheaton Warrenville South (23-7), and Upstate Eight East champ Glenbard East (20-9), and includes York (6 seed), Glenbard North (7), St. Charles East (8), Addison Trail (9), Batavia (10), Wheaton North (11), Lake Park (12), Bartlett (14), St. Charles North (15), Willowbrook (16), and West Chicago (17).

“Our overall goal is to make a nice run in the playoffs and that means that we will need to be playing our best basketball,” said Hilltoppers coach Jason Opoka, whose team is led by TJ Williams and Josh Abushanab, who led Glenbard North to a sectional title last season.

“The variety of different styles of teams is always difficult to manage. So many teams could beat anyone.”

Geneva, led by Hudson Kirby and Gabe Jensen, owns an 11-2 record in games decided by 9 points or less. The Vikings’ regional path could include familiar foes St. Charles North and Glenbard North.

“There’s a lot parity in this sectional,” said Vikings coach Scott Hennig. “The sectional is wide open – a lot of good teams, players, and coaches. It should be fun.”

An intriguing first-round matchup pits St. Charles East (15-14) at Addison Trail (16-14).

The Blazers are led by senior all-state guard Luke Smith, the school’s all-time leader in points (2,466), rebounds, steals, and assists.

Possible sectional semifinal games include Glenbard West vs. Glenbard East, and Geneva vs. WW South, led by senior guard Luca Carbonaro, for a third time.

Dundee-Crown (12), Larkin (13), South Elgin (16), Streamwood (17) and Elgin (18) are among the teams at Schaumburg.

In Class 3A, the Rochelle sectional figures to be a grind with Kaneland (26-1), Crystal Lake South (26-4), Burlington Central (21-8), Sycamore (20-8), Wheaton Academy (18-8), Cary-Grove (17-13), and Marmion (17-13).

“We feel the sub-sectional we are in is loaded,” said Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe. “We feel like the sub-sectionals in our area need to be replaced with sectionals.”

Junior guard Marshawn Cocroft, who led Aurora Christian to a fourth-place state finish in 1A a year ago, has enjoyed his first season with the Knights.

“Marshawn is a great teammate,” said Colombe. “He leads by example and is one of the hardest working players each day. It has helped that he grew up with a lot of our guys in elementary and middle school.”

The Knights could face Wheaton Academy, led by sophomore Hayden Schroeder, in the regional finals, with Fox Valley foes Crystal Lake South and Burlington Central squaring off for a third time on a neutral court at Prairie Ridge.

“It’s disappointing the state didn’t have a normal sectional like the rest of the suburbs,” said Gators coach Matt LePage. “Instead, these sub-sectionals have turned into old school local regionals where we are all going at it a third time.”

The Gators feature senior guard AJ Demirov.

“Having a seasoned point guard like AJ is a great start, but it takes everyone and our guys know that,” said LePage.

Seniors Patrick Shell, Jake Johnson, LJ Kerr and Caden West lead the Rockets into postseason play.

“Our regional will be extremely difficult with all the talented, physical, and well-coached teams that are all very familiar with each other,” said Burlington coach Brett Porto.

At Glenbard South, St. Francis (6 seed), Hinsdale South, and the host Raiders are among the teams entered.

In Class 2A, Montini (18-11) drew the top seed at the Christ the King sectional that includes IC Catholic Prep (24-7) and Timothy Christian.

In Class 1A, regional host Harvest Christian, Lombard College Prep, St. Edward, and Westminster Christian are in a sub-sectional opposite regional host Indian Creek and Aurora Christian.

State semifinal, third-place, and championship games in all four classes will be held Thursday-Saturday, March 13-15, at the State Farm Center in Champaign.