Scouting Fox Valley Class 1/2A postseason
Class 2A South Beloit sectional
Regional hosts: Genoa-Kingston, Somonauk, Gordon Tech, Pecatonica
Top seeds: Rockford Lutheran, Aurora Christian, Gordon Tech, Byron
Outlook: St. Edward has a tough draw within the Genoa-Kingston regional. No. 5 St. Edward (11-16) opens the postseason against No. 4 North Boone (13-12) in Monday’s play-in game at 7:30 p.m. The teams have one common opponent: Burlington Central. St. Edward lost to Burlington Central in mid-December, 59-49. North Boone beat Burlington Central twice (53-52 and 53-41).
“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” St. Edward coach P.J. White said. “They’re big. They go 6-foot-5, 6-4, 6-4, but that’s what we’ve been facing all year to get ready for this one game. They like to get out and run and we’ll want to slow it down. It’s two opposite processes, so we’ll see which one comes out on top. If we can make our shots and keep them off the offensive glass and keep it a low-scoring game, we’ll have an opportunity to win.” A win would advance St. Edward to a semifinal against top seed Rockford Lutheran (24-3), which finished second in the Big Northern West.
The Green Wave enter the postseason with confidence following consecutive wins against Westmont and Guerin. The mini-winning streak boosted the team past its preseason goal of 10 victories.
“We’ve talked about the ladder of success with the guys all season,” White said. “No one thought this group would do very well, but they worked and worked and worked and improved, and that was the main goal. I think they’ve overachieved, so I’m happy. I’d love to see them get a win in the regional after working so hard and coming so far.”
St. Edward is led by 5-10 guard Eddie O’Halloran, who averages 14.4 ppg. A 34-percent shooter from 3-point range, the senior has connected on 35 attempts from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Doug Johnson averages 7.5 ppg and 5 rpg. Junior Adrian Ponce (6-3) leads the team in rebounding (6.5 avg.) and averages 8.1 ppg. Junior guard Antonio Domel leads the Fox Valley area with 4.9 assists per game. He averages 7 points and 2.7 steals.
State contender Byron (26-0) is the sectional favorite. The Tigers began the week ranked No. 3 in Class 2A. Byron saddled Rockford Lutheran with its only 3 losses.
Advancement: The Genoa-Kingston and Pecatonica regional winners will face off in a sectional semifinal on Feb. 28. The Gordon Tech and Somonauk regional winners will meet in the second semifinal on Feb. 29. The South Beloit sectional winner will play the Princeton sectional winner in the DeKalb NIU supersectional on March 6 at 8:10 p.m.
Class 1A Mooseheart sectional
Regional hosts: Christian Liberty Academy, Hope Academy, Serena, Hinckley Big Rock
Top seeds: North Shore Country Day, Hope Academy, Gardner-South Wilmington, Hinckley-Big Rock
Outlook: Three Elgin private schools compete for supremacy in this regional, beginning with a head-to-head matchup in Monday’s play-in game between No. 4 Elgin Academy (8-14) and No. 5 Harvest Christian Academy (9-17) at 7:30 p.m. Elgin Academy defeated the Lions 71-44 on Jan. 5. Sophomore Jumel Julian scored 23 points in that matchup to lead the Hilltoppers. Elgin Academy boasts the 1-2 punch of seniors Connor Flexman and Jon Busano. Flexman is the Fox Valley area’s leading scorer. He scored 37 points in a 79-70 victory at Roycemore on Tuesday, which lifted his career scoring total over 1,000 points.
“We’re feeling pretty good,” first-year Elgin Academy coach Dewayne Robinson said. “We’ve had a good week of practice and we know we can match up with anybody as long as our guys come to play with effort and intensity. We have a variety of offensive attacks and defensive strategies we utilize. It’ll depend on how hard our guys come to play, how mentally prepared they are.”
Harvest Christian Academy gets to experience the original March Madness for the first time. The Lions are making their IHSA tournament debut, led by 6-6 sophomore John Vislisel (12.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and 6-1 junior guard Stuart Wolff (12 ppg, 4.6 rpg).
Though nothing is guaranteed, No. 2 Westminster Christian (15-12) is a safe bet to advance past No. 7 Faith Lutheran of Crystal Lake in Tuesday’s regional quarterfinal at 6 p.m. The Warriors defeated Faith Lutheran 55-19 on Jan. 31. A Westminster Christian victory would give IBCA hall-of-fame coach Bruce Firchau his 500th career win, though Firchau is more focused on the regional draw. The Warriors would face top seed Hinckley-Big Rock (20-6) in the title game if seeds hold.
“Hinckley is the best team in there and definitely deserves the No. 1 seed,” said Firchau, who owns a .545 career winning percentage. “They’re not real tall, but they have some excellent shooters and good guards who handle the ball well. They start an all-junior lineup, but they all played together as sophomores and have two full years of experience.”
The Warriors could face No. 3 Mooseheart in the regional semifinal on Wednesday, which would mark the fourth meeting between the Northeast Athletic Conference rivals this season. Westminster won the last two meetings by an average of 10 points.
Westminster Christian is led by junior guards Will Woodhouse (13.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Colin Brandon (6.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and 6-3 senior forward Josh Beachler (8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg).
Hope Academy (22-3) is the clear-cut sectional favorite, even without junior point guard Jalen Jones, an Illinois recruit who in January transferred to prep power La Lumiere (Ind.). The Eagles reached a sectional final last season and began the week ranked No. 3 in Class 1A. The Eagles last week endured their first loss since Huntley beat them at the Jacobs Holiday Tournament on Dec. 22. Last week’s loss came at the hands of Seton Academy, the top-ranked team in Class 2A.
Advancement: The winners of the Hinckley-Big Rock and Hope Academy regionals will meet in a sectional semifinal on Feb. 28. The Christian Liberty Academy and Serena regional winners will meet Feb. 29. The winner of the Mooseheart sectional advances to face the winner of the River Ridge sectional at the DeKalb NIU supersectional on March 6 at 6:30 p.m.