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DuPage County teams ready to fight for a midseason trophy

Get ready for a busy holiday season of boys basketball in DuPage County.

Between the tournaments at York, Glenbard West, IC Catholic Prep/Westmont and the debut event at Hinsdale Central, 64 teams will be competing for trophies of all shapes and sizes.

And that's just a beginning. DuPage County's 29 teams soon will begin scattering to 12 holiday tournaments from Wheeling to Centralia.

Here's a look at what to expect over the next two weeks.

York: Dec. 26, 28-31.

The field: Batavia, Conant, DeLaSalle, Downers Grove South, Elk Grove, Glenbard East, Highland Park, Hinsdale South, Lake Forest, Lane Tech, Lyons Twp., McHenry, Metea Valley, Minooka, Naperville North, Nazareth, Oswego, Palatine, Providence, Riverside-Brookfield, Rolling Meadows, St. Ignatius, St. Laurence, St. Patrick, Sandburg, Schaumburg, Stagg, Thornton Fractional South, Timothy Christian, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton North, York.

The favorite: Riverside-Brookfield.

The scoop: Ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, No. 1 seed Riverside-Brookfield looks to win its first Jack Tosh title since 2001. Returning four starters plus Whitney Young transfer Skyler Nash from a 28-4 sectional champion, the Bulldogs finished second at York in 2014 to two-time defending champ Lake Forest. A potential semifinal awaits with Hinsdale South and Northwestern recruit Barret Benson. Downers South heads the other bracket, an even group in a tourney that showcases various styles and teams from large (Lyons Twp.) to small (Timothy Christian).

Quotable: "In terms of preparing your team, it's going to prepare you. Whether you do better or you have some struggles, you're going to be better for it," said Metea Valley coach Bob Vozza.

Glenbard West: Dec. 21-23, 26.

The field: Glenbard North, Glenbard West, Hoffman Estates, Leyden, Northridge Prep, St. Francis, Wheaton Academy, Willowbrook.

The favorite: Glenbard West.

The scoop: Playing on its home court with one of the state's top players, unbeaten Glenbard West is the obvious team to beat. William and Mary-bound wing Justin Pierce has gotten off to a tremendous start, and so has point guard Alex Passi. It'd be a shock if Glenbard West didn't emerge atop the Green Pool, but the White Pool is a tossup. None of the four teams - Glenbard North, Hoffman Estates, Leyden and Wheaton Academy - has a winning record. Wheaton Academy, after a few years away, makes its return to Glenbard West.

Quotable: "If you look at the record, I guess you'd have to consider us as a favorite," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. "But there are some quality programs coming in with competitive teams. I think a lot of teams are looking forward to getting some momentum for the second half of the season."

Wheeling: Dec. 21-23, 26.

The field: Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Dundee-Crown, Fremd, Glenbrook South, Lake Park, Libertyville, Maine West, Naperville Central, Niles North, Notre Dame, Prospect, Streamwood, Vernon Hills, Waukegan, Wheeling.

The favorites: Deerfield, Fremd, Naperville Central, Notre Dame.

The scoop: There's a reason four teams are listed as a favorite. This tournament's up for grabs. In terms of local hopes, Naperville Central has as good a shot as anyone. The experienced tandem of Matthew Meier, who scored 52 points in two wins last week, and Harrison Hallstrom leads the Redhawks, who have lost only on the road to Oswego and Glenbard West. A win over Maine West likely sets up a second-rounder against Deerfield. Defending champion Lake Park is in the opposite bracket and has an interesting first-round matchup against Prospect.

Quotable: "We feel pretty good about where we're at heading into Wheeling," said Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer. "It's a good field again. It's a chance for us to gain some confidence against teams we don't normally get to see."

IC Catholic Prep/Westmont: Dec. 26, 28-30.

The field: Elmwood Park, Evergreen Park, IC Catholic Prep, Latin, Montini, St. Edward, Walther Christian, Westmont.

The favorites: IC Catholic, St. Edward.

The scoop: St. Edward is the two-time defending champion, and IC won in 2012. Possible challenges by improved Westmont and Evergreen Park aside, the two Metro Suburban West foes figure to continue their rivalry for the title Dec. 30 at IC Catholic. First-time entry Montini, with sophomore Jayston Williams, renews an old rivalry with the Knights.

Quotable: "Most teams play a much different schedule, most teams haven't crossed paths yet, so it should be an interesting tournament," said IC Catholic coach T.J. Tyrrell.

Romeoville: Dec. 26, 28-30.

The field: Argo, Chicago Christian, Downers Grove North, Geneseo, Glenbard South, Joliet Catholic, Lemont, Lincoln-Way East, Lindbloom, Oak Forest, Oswego East, Plainfield Central, Reavis, Romeoville, Shepard, Phillips.

The favorite: Downers Grove North.

The scoop: The Trojans may be 0-3 in the West Suburban Silver, but last season they were 0-4 and swept to the tourney title. Chicago Christian is off to a 7-1 start while Joliet Catholic started 4-2 and blends athleticism with size. Any number of schools - including Glenbard South, Oswego East and 2014 runner-up Oak Forest - are in the mix. The long-standing small-school and big-school brackets are no longer in play.

Quotable: "We've gone out there with pretty strong teams and we've gone out there with not as strong a team, and it seems like we're always competitive," said Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke.

Pontiac: Dec. 28-30.

The field: Benet, Bloom Twp., Bloomington, Curie, Danville, Joliet West, Lockport, Manual, Niles West, Oak Park, Plainfield North, Pontiac, St. Charles North, Simeon, Warren, West Aurora.

The favorite: Simeon.

The scoop: Perhaps the state's premier holiday tournament looks extremely strong again. While Manual comes up from Peoria as the top seed, Chicago Public League powers Curie and Simeon sit in the same side of the bracket as the respective second and third seeds. Fourth-seeded darkhorse Benet returns three starters in Dan Sobolewski, James Dockery and Jason Malonga. The unbeaten Redwings are on Manual's side of the bracket but first must get past Pontiac on its home court before likely facing Joliet West in the second round.

Quotable: "We've gotten off to a good start, but we're going to have to play a lot better to compete at Pontiac," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. "Opening against Pontiac at Pontiac is tough. It's going to be a great environment. We're looking forward to it."

Hinsdale Central: Dec. 26, 28-30.

The field: Auburn, Crespi Carmelite, Crete-Monee, DePaul Prep, Foreman, Hinsdale Central, Hope Academy, Homewood-Flossmoor, Lincoln Park, Maine South, Perspectives MSA, Richards, St. Charles East, Stevenson, Urban Prep Englewood, Westinghouse.

East Aurora: Dec. 26, 28-30.

The field: Aurora Central Catholic, East Aurora, Englewood, Lincoln-Way North, Neuqua Valley, Noble DRW College Prep, Tampa (Fla.) Catholic, Urban Prep.

Plano: Dec. 23, 26, 28-30.

The field: Aurora Christian, Burlington Central, Coal City, Dixon, Fenton, Forreston, Genoa-Kingston, Hinckley-Big Rock, Hope, Indian Creek, Kaneland, LaSalle-Peru, Lisle, Mendota, Morris, Newark, Ottawa, Plano, Princeton, St. Bede, Sandwich, Somonauk, Streator, Yorkville.

Bloomington (large school): Dec. 28-31.

The field: Champaign Centennial, Chatham Glenwood, Edwardsville, Hononegah, Mahomet-Seymour, Normal Community, Normal U-High, North Chicago, North Lawndale, Peoria Notre Dame, Plainfield South, Rock Island, Springfield, Thornwood, Wheaton Warrenville South, Zion-Benton.

DeKalb: Dec. 26, 28-30.

The field: Belvidere, Belvidere North, DeKalb, Eisenhower, Geneva, Glenbrook North, Grayslake Central, Hampshire, Harlem, Marmion, Mundelein, Ridgewood, Schurz, Sterling, West Chicago, Winnebago.

Centralia: Dec. 28-30.

The field: Addison Trail, Alton, Arlington, Belleville West, Cahokia, Centralia, Champaign Central, Christian County, Germantown, Jacksonville, Marist, Mt. Vernon, O'Fallon, Raleigh Egypt, Salem, Sullivan.

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