Fenton @ Riverside-Brookfield

Fenton (2-3, 1-0) at Riverside-Brookfield (3-2, 1-0)

Three showdowns last year between these rivals, two won by R-B by a total of 4 points, led to the teams sharing the Metro Suburban Conference title -- Fenton's first conference crown since 1948. The two key figures from last season remain as fourth-year varsity players. Fenton's Gozie Umeadi, a 6-foot-5 swing player, and Bulldogs' guard Chris Parrish, committed to Southern Illinois University, are the definitive leaders for their respective teams. The difference may come down to who else steps up. For Fenton a likely candidate could be 6-4 forward Damian Sieradzki, who tallied 27 points in last week's 61-45 win over Elmwood Park. Billy Gratzl added 27 points in Fenton's last two games while Darek Potuszynski has contributed solid defense. Look for Fenton to take defensive pressure off Umeadi and Sieradzki by putting Potuszynski on Parrish. At 6-3 Parrish is the Bulldogs' biggest player. They've responded with a more up-tempo style of play, a style Fenton hopes to counter with a methodical game plan. "It'd be very difficult for us to score in the 70s," said Fenton coach Dennis Cromer. "We need to slow them down a little bit." The Bulldogs will definitely be slowed by the loss of standout sophomore guard Sean McGonagill, who broke his ankle in last week's win over Ridgewood.