Scouting the weekend in the Fox Valley
Today
Class 2A regional championship at Genoa-Kingston
St. Edward (11-18) vs. Aurora Christian (14-12), 7:30 p.m.: St. Edward seeks its first regional title since it earned back-to-back Class A regional plaques in 2002 and '03 under former coach Kevin Dix. A difficult Suburban Catholic Conference schedule of mostly Class 3A schools - not to mention Class 4A competition at the Jacobs Holiday Tournament - prepared the fourth-seeded Green Wave for Wednesday's upset of No. 1 Genoa-Kingston. Led by senior guards Josh Dix and Riley Coleman and senior forwards Steve Martin and Jim Waclawik, St. Edward seeks its 16th regional title since 1972. The Green Wave won 15 district titles and a regional title between 1946-1968.
Big Northern-East
Richmond-Burton (16-9, 8-1) at Burlington Central (12-12, 6-3), 7 p.m.:
Hampshire fans will be rooting for archrival Burlington to win. If Central knocks off R-B, Hampshire will celebrate an outright Big Northern-East title. If Richmond-Burton wins, it splits the division title with the idle Whip-Purs (17-8, 9-1).
Fox Valley (Fox)
Johnsburg (15-11, 6-3) at Huntley (14-11, 4-5), 7 p.m.: The Senior Night celebration will be buoyed by the guarantee of a third straight winning season under Huntley coach Marty Manning. Senior shooting guard Zac Boster is heating up as postseason approaches.
Fox Valley (Valley)
Jacobs (23-2, 8-1) at Dundee-Crown (18-5, 9-0), 7 p.m.: The stakes are clear: If D-C wins, it clinches the school's first undefeated Fox Valley Conference title since 1994-95. If Jacobs wins, the Golden Eagles win a share of the Valley Division crown, their third straight division title.
McHenry (12-12, 4-5) at Cary-Grove (14-12, 3-6), 7 p.m.: The Trojans get a final tuneup before Tuesday's regional semifinal against Fox Division champion Prairie Ridge.
Crystal Lake South (12-14, 2-7) at Woodstock (5-21, 1-8), 7 p.m.: The Gators need a win. The top seed at next week's Class 4A McHenry regional has lost five in a row and eight of 10.
Upstate Eight
South Elgin (18-7, 7-2) at Bartlett (18-7, 6-3), 7:30 p.m.: The winner earns the title of "best team in U-46." Second-place South Elgin has won eight of nine. Bartlett has won eight straight.
Elgin (10-15, 2-7) at Streamwood (12-13, 3-6), 7:30 p.m.: Three-year starting guard Tem Esikiel (18.8 ppg.) plays his final home game on Senior Night at Streamwood. These District U-46 rivals will square off again Monday in the play-in game of the Class 4A Dundee-Crown regional.
Larkin (7-18, 1-8) at Neuqua Valley (26-1, 8-1), 7:30 p.m.: The theory of any given team on any given night is put to the test ... UEC-leading Neuqua Valley's only blemish? A 74-70 overtime loss at East Aurora on Dec. 20. The Wildcats can clinch the outright UEC title with a win.
- Jerry Fitzpatrick