High Five: Who had the area’s top prep basketball performances last week?

Welcome to a championship edition of the High Five.

All this week’s honorees (including some repeat High Fivers) stepped up in a big way during Thursday’s girls basketball sectional title games and Friday’s boys basketball regional finals.

The stakes get higher from here on out, starting with Monday’s girls supersectionals.

Let’s take a look at last week’s top performances from the area.

5. Marshawn Cocroft, Kaneland

The Knights’ unbeaten machine rolled on with a 70-52 victory over the host school in the Class 3A Burlington Central regional final.

Now 32-0, Kaneland was led again by Cocroft, its 6-foot senior guard. He scored 18 of his game-high 30 points in the first half as the Knights won a second straight regional title. Cocroft also led his team with 22 points in the semifinals.

The top-seeded Knights face No. 3 Rockford East in the Woodstock North sectional semifinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

4. Emma Peterson, Geneva

With the Vikings’ shots struggling to fall in the Class 3A Crystal Lake Central sectional final, Peterson led the charge to create more chances.

The 6-foot sophomore grabbed 15 of the team’s 42 rebounds and nearly matched the number of boards pulled down by the entire Crystal Lake South team in a 43-33 victory. She also led Geneva with 15 points.

After starting the season with seven straight losses, Geneva won its second sectional championship in four years.

3. David Showman, WW South

While the Tigers traditionally shine on the defensive end, Showman proved unstoppable on offense in a 59-49 win over DuKane Conference rival Batavia in the Class 4A Willowbrook regional final.

The 6-3 junior scored a game-high 33 points while hitting seven of his first eight shots and tallying 18 points in the first half.

After claiming their fourth regional title in five seasons, the fifth-seeded Tigers face No. 1 Glenbard East at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Bartlett sectional semifinals.

2. Brooklyn Schilb, St. Charles East

Schilb dominated in the second half of the Class 4A Bartlett sectional title game.

The 6-foot sophomore had 2 points in the first half, shot 0 of 6 from the field and was saddled with three fouls heading into halftime. Schilb regrouped and carried the Saints to a 53-28 win over Glenbard West.

Schilb scored a game-high 32 points as the Saints improved from the regional titles they won the previous two seasons.

1. Cole Kelly, Neuqua Valley

It’s been a while since the Wildcats suffered their lone loss to Oswego East. But Kelly and his teammates didn’t forget.

Neuqua Valley improved to 32-1 with an 80-51 victory over the Wolves in the Class 4A Neuqua Valley regional title game, avenging that early-season loss.

Kelly, a 6-6 sophomore, scored 36 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

The second-seeded Wildcats play No. 3 Bolingbrook at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Bolingbrook sectional semifinals.