A midseason scouting report on Fox Valley area teams
Welcome to 2010!
Now that the holiday tournament portion of the girls basketball season is behind us, it's time to look ahead, and for some reason it just doesn't seem possible that regional tournament action for Class 1A and 2A teams will begin in just 34 days, and for Class 3A and 4A teams a week after that.
Before we leave 2009 in the rear view mirror, though, we'll offer a synopsis on where Fox Valley area teams stand heading into the stretch run of the season.
Bartlett (9-7): What the Hawks need more than anything is consistency. Then again, 9-7 against a pretty darn tough schedule and with a team basically made up of sophomores and juniors isn't all bad. And although they went just 1-3 at Dundee-Crown, they played four very good teams and should learn from it. If Bartlett is going to contend in the Upstate Eight, it will need to start that push with a win at St. Charles East on Friday. And the nonconference part of the Hawks' schedule doesn't get any easier as they still have games against Crystal Lake South, Glenbard West, Benet and Geneva on the docket outside the UEC wars.
Burlington Central (9-5): After a 4-0 start, the Rockets have come back to earth somewhat, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. BC isn't a deep team so it will need to avoid injuries and foul trouble the rest of the way to remain competitive. Central has a busy week to start 2010, playing Big Northern East games against North Boone and Harvard this week, sandwiched around nonconference games against Streamwood Thursday and Kaneland Saturday.
Cary-Grove (15-1): After a 15-0 start, the Trojans were denied the Mundelein tournament title when they fell to Libertyville, which at 13-4 is a quality club, in the title game. You can get a good look at how the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division is shaping up this Friday when C-G hosts Jacobs. Cary-Grove, which is still adjusting to the loss of junior guard Meg Straumann to an ACL injury, has a couple of key nonconference dates remaining on the schedule against Hersey Jan. 23 and St. Charles North Feb. 12.
Crystal Lake South (10-7): The Gators are back. After a tough start that was riddled with injury, South has won 6 straight and claimed the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic title for the second year in a row. Now, it's no secret that the competition in that tournament isn't like, say, a Dundee-Crown, but with a healthy team it's just what the doctor ordered for South to get back on track. The Gators host Jacobs tonight in what should be an entertaining FVC Valley battle, and their toughest nonconference date the rest of the season is Jan. 16 at Bartlett.
Dundee-Crown (2-13): The Chargers may have lost 8 in a row but one thing we saw at the D-C tournament is that coach Michelle Russell's team never gives up. I haven't seen many 2-13 teams play as hard as Dundee-Crown does and that's a testament to Russell and assistant coach Julie Staudenmaier for continuing to make the game fun first for their players.
Elgin (1-14): Another team that is having its struggles in the win-loss column but is battling every night. Dr. Nick Bumbales is a patient man, and he has to be as he tries to rebuild the Elgin program. The Maroons host Waubonsie Valley Friday at 6 p.m. in the front end of a girls-boys doubleheader.
Elgin Academy (4-4): The Hilltoppers didn't play in a holiday tournament and return to action Wednesday at home against Aurora Central Catholic.
Hampshire (13-0): Who will test the Whip-Purs? After winning the Harlem Christmas Classic, Hampshire has had a long layoff, but the Whips don't figure to get tested much before Jan. 14 when they host Rockford Lutheran. Another interesting date on the schedule is Jan. 23 at South Elgin. Hampshire also has to play Burlington Central twice and one can only figure that former Whip-Pur star and first-year BC coach Stephanie Smith will have something up her sleeve for those games.
Huntley (6-8): The Red Raiders went 2-3 at the Mundelein tournament and while they have shown some spunk, they also have lacked consistency. A Jan. 13 game against Cary-Grove will tell coach Steve Raethz and his troops if they're going to be in contention in the FVC Valley or not.
Jacobs (14-5): If there's a team to look out for down the stretch, it's Jacobs. Not only do the Golden Eagles have one of the best game coaches around in Ed Haugens, but they are getting better and better by playing good competition. After an impressive fifth-place finish at Wheaton North, Haugens took his club to a second holiday tournament and the Eagles responded with a 3-2 showing at the tough Montini tourney. Want to know if Jacobs has what it takes to contend in the FVC Valley? That answer comes this week. The Eagles travel to CL South tonight and Cary-Grove Friday.
Larkin (1-12): The Royals continue to struggle with not only wins and losses but numbers. For various reasons, there have been games where Larkin was able to suit up just 6 players. And the one win, well, to be honest, really doesn't count. It came against Joliet's sophomore team at the Oswego East tournament last week.
South Elgin (6-9): This has to be the most dangerous 6-9 team in the state. With a bona fide Division I prospect in Becca Smith and a decent supporting cast, what the Storm needs more than anything is (here's that word again) consistency. If they get it, they can beat a lot of teams. Coach Tim Prendergast was feeling pretty good after his team upset top seed Plainfield North last week at Oswego East but then the inconsistent Storm came back and lost to West Chicago and Oswego East. South Elgin travels to St. Edward tonight then hosts St. Charles North in an Upstate Eight battle on Friday.
Streamwood (6-9): The Sabres came of age with a 7th-place finish at the Mundelein tournament, but started the 2010 portion of the season with an Upstate Eight loss to Waubonsie Valley Monday night. Senior Emma Schmidt has been one of the most consistent players in the area this season and don't be surprised if Streamwood has another stunner or two in it, as it did when it beat St. Charles North before Christmas.
St. Edward (9-6): After losing to Antioch in the opener of the Lisle tournament, the Green Wave came back strong and won the consolation championship. This is a very young team with unlimited potential but they'll have to grow up fast with a remaining schedule that includes South Elgin, Rosary, Chicago Christian, St. Francis, Wheaton Academy, Nazareth, Montini, Crystal Lake South and Immaculate Conception prior to regionals.
Westminster Christian (5-9): The Warriors are off all week and return to action next Monday against Luther North.
Off the court: We made a pretty big deal of the bowling benefit held Dec. 20 for Burlington Central graduate Zach Morrison, who is battling brain cancer. Turns out it was a big deal. The donations and support came in droves and I'm happy to report, via the Ehorn family, that over $20,000 was raised to help with Zach's medical expenses. And if that doesn't make you feel good, nothing will.