Scouting the Barrington and Evanston sectional finals
Class 4A Barrington sectional final
No. 1 Zion-Benton (29-3) vs. No. 7 Schaumburg (19-9)
7:30 p.m. today
How they got here: Zion-Benton defeated No. 13 Libertyville 60-34 and No. 7 Mundelein 79-75 to win the Mundelein regional and No. 5 Buffalo Grove 88-67 in Tuesday's sectional semifinal. Schaumburg defeated No. 10 Hoffman Estates 67-66 and No. 2 Conant 64-54 to win the Conant regional and No. 3 Highland Park 58-48 in Wednesday's sectional semifinal.
Postseason history: Zion-Benton is going for its fourth sectional title after losing to Warren in last year's final. The Zee-Bees have never reached the state tournament and lost to Schaumburg 78-59 in the 2001 AA supersectional at Northwestern. Schaumburg is looking for its fourth sectional title and second in three years.
Probable starters
ZION-BENTON SCHAUMBURG
Player Ht. Yr. Player Ht. Yr. PPG
G Rodney Clinkscales 6-1 Sr. Cully Payne 6-2 Jr. 16.9
G Ronald Steward 5-10 Jr. Brandon Bolger 6-0 Sr. 14.7
F/G Antonio Stewart 6-4 Sr. Perrish Bell 5-9 Jr. 5.5
F Lenzelle Smith 6-3 So. Dan Slowik 6-2 Sr. 6.4
C/F Markus Yarbrough 6-7 Jr. Blake Mueller 6-4 Jr. 7.2
Outlook: In Schaumburg's first 15 games it allowed 60-plus points seven times. In its last 13 games it has happened only once. Now the Saxons' man-to-man faces a high-powered Zion-Benton attack that has been held to less than 60 four times. "We know they're a good team, athletic and quick," said Schaumburg guard Perrish Bell. "We've got to stop them from penetrating. If we don't let them penetrate and dish the ball we can get a win." The Zee-Bees shot a blistering 68 percent (32-for-47) from the field Tuesday with Smith scoring 30, Clinkscales 20, Steward 15 and junior scoring leader Quintrell Love coming off the bench for 12. Schaumburg stifled Highland Park on 34.6 percent shooting (18-for-52) and 4-for-22 on 3s and had a 38-26 rebound advantage. "Defensively we stepped up and that's what we needed," said Schaumburg guard Brandon Bolger. The Saxons also needed a career night of 22 points and 12 rebounds from Mueller as the Giants geared a triangle-and-2 toward Payne and Bolger. Payne scored 9 of his 14 in the final 3:11 and Bolger scored his 4 points in the last 1:22. But a team whose biggest loss is by 10 points to 2A semifinalist Peoria Manual and had a chance to win in the fourth quarter of almost all of its losses persevered. "They gave us different things and we were composed enough to take those things and be successful," said Schaumburg coach Bob Williams. "That shows a real sign of maturity as a team. We didn't panic." Schaumburg has won six straight since losing 55-54 at Glenbrook South when Payne didn't play. Zion has won 10 in a row since a 43-42 loss to Rockton Hononegah.
Advancement: The winner advances to Tuesday's 8 p.m. DeKalb supersectional at Northern Illinois University's Convocation Center against the winner of today's Jacobs sectional championship between Rockford Boylan and Elgin.
-- Marty Maciaszek
Class 4A Evanston sectional semifinal
No. 1 Evanston (27-3) vs. No. 7 Hersey (17-12)
7:30 p.m. today at Beardsley Gym
How they got here: Evanston defeated No. 17 Niles North 75-49 and No. 8 Prospect 63-56 to win the Niles North regional and No. 5 Loyola 59-55 (OT) in Tuesday's sectional semifinal. Hersey defeated No. 9 Wheeling 63-55 and No. 2 New Trier 72-59 to win the Wheeling regional and No. 6 Maine East 64-60 in Wednesday's sectional semifinal.
Postseason history: Evanston won its 11th sectional title last year and is trying to make its ninth trip to the state tournament. Hersey is looking to win its fifth sectional and first since 1995 when it went to the Elite Eight.
Probable starters
EVANSTON HERSEY
Player Ht. Yr. Player Ht. Yr. PPG