Scouting postseason basketball at Rock Valley, Woodstock North and NIU

Class 4A Rock Valley College sectionalPairings: Tuesday - Game 1) Jacobs (23-6) vs. Rockford Auburn (22-6), 7 p.m.; Wednesday - Game 2) Prairie Ridge (25-3) vs. St. Charles East (17-12), 7 p.m.; Friday - Game 3), Winner Game 1 plays Winner Game 2 for sectional championship, 6:30 p.m.

Outlook: A vaild argument can be made as to why each of the four entrants is capable of winning this sectional. Led by 6-foot-9 junior Cam Krutwig, Jacobs has reached a sectional semifinal for the second time in three years and the fifth time in school history, tying the program's deepest postseason push. To play for their first sectional title, the Golden Eagles must find a way to beat resurgent Auburn, which won its third straight regional and sixth in eight seasons despite having only one key player back from a team that lost in a sectional final to Geneva, 65-62. Senior Trayvon Tyler was a sixth man for the Knights last season, but has grasped the mantle of leadership with both hands, according to coach Bryan Ott. The senior leads Auburn with 19.4 points per game while averaging nearly 6 assists and 5 steals per game. He sank six 3-pointers and scored 29 points in the regional title game against Hononegah to rally the Knights from a 7-point, second-quarter deficit to a 58-48 victory. Senior Juwanane Parchman averages 9.4 points and Davion Dixon contributes 9 points a game. "They lost all that talent they had the last couple of years, but they have a lot of kids in that school who can play and that's what this group is. It's new faces," Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said. "They don't have a lot of size, but they're strong, tough, physical kids. They really get into you defensively. They'll guard us full court and try to deny us some things in the half court, similar to Larkin." Meanwhile, smaller Auburn must find a way to slow down Krutwig, Jacobs' all-time leading rebounder who scored his 1,000th career point in the regional title victory over DeKalb. He averages 17.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. He is supported by sophomore guards Ryan Phillips (9.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Nik Balkcom (7 ppg) and senior guard Kyle Ross (5.8 ppg, 3.5 apg). Those guards will play a key role in whether Jacobs can withstand 32 minutes of Auburn's defense trying to deny passes. "I like the things they do with Krutwig and I like the discipline of their team as a whole," Ott said. "I like the fact that they're trying to run everything through him. You've got some pretty good perimeter players there, but they seem to be very unselfish and share the ball. They're content, it looks like, to get their shots on inside-out looks as well as on back cuts. I like the discipline with which they play. They're a very methodical, very disciplined, very impressive bunch."

St. Charles East returns to sectional play for the first time since 2007. The Saints seek their fourth sectional title and their first since 2000-01. Mostly healthy after a regular-season fraught with injuries to key players, they knocked off 22-win Geneva and UEC River champ Batavia to win a regional title on their home floor. Heading into postseason play, the Saints were led by senior guard Evan DiLeonardi (10.5 ppg, 4 apg) and sophomore Justin Hardy (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg.), but everyone in St. Charles East's lineup has Prairie Ridge coach Corky Card concerned due to their height. "They shoot the heck out of the 3 and they're huge," said Card, who guided the Wolves to their only sectional title in 2003-04. "They're going to be a difficult guard just because they are so big and athletic. When they run (senior Zach) Hondlik and (senior Ben) Talarczyk, a pair of 6-foot-6 kids, to the corners and they can both shoot 3s and they can both rebound, that's an issue." Prairie Ridge counters with a veteran-laden team with 10 seniors on the 15-man roster. The Wolves are led by seniors Payton Otto (12.3 ppg), Christopher Bradshaw (12.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg), and junior Brian Dorn (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg). All three are above-average 3-point shooters. Otto has made 40 of 91 from beyond the arc (44 percent), Bradshaw 71 of 172 (41.3 percent) and Dorn 18 of 41 (40 percent). Defensively, the Wolves use 1-2-2 full-court pressure and trap in the half court. "They are good in transition so we have to make sure we stop the ball and locate shooters," St. Charles East coach Patrick Woods said. "They have a lot of weapons in their dribble-drive offense and they share the ball well. There are a lot of similarities to our team. We feel we've been battle-tested with the schedule we played against some tough teams and we're the healthiest we've been in a long time, so we hope that plays in our favor."

Advancement: The winner of the Rock Valley College sectional advances to face the winner of the Fremd sectional in the Sears Centre supersectional on Tuesday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. The matchups at Fremd are Conant (21-6) vs. Hoffman Estates (13-17) on Tuesday and Fremd (23-6) vs. Lake Zurich (23-9) on Wednesday.

Class 3A Woodstock North sectionalPairings: Tuesday - Game 1) Glenbard South (19-9) vs. Belvidere (15-17), 7 p.m.; Wednesday - Game 2) Rockford Boylan Catholic (29-2) vs. Kaneland (20-8), 7 p.m.; Friday - Game 3), Winner Game 1 plays Winner Game 2 for sectional championship, 7 p.m.

Outlook: Kaneland won its third regional title in five seasons and its first under new coach Joe Conroy to gain a date with Boylan. The Titans are the favorite to win the sectional. Boylan, which won the NIC-10 conference, has defeated several 4A teams this season, including 4A regional champions Prairie Ridge and Auburn (twice). They also won the Jacobs Holiday Tournament. Guard Zach Couper led the Titans with 21 points last Friday in a 77-58 win over Marian Central to win the Freeport regional title. "It's a game where we know we'll have to play especially well against a really good team," Conroy said. "They're a really good team. They are strong, physical and skilled. But I think our style of play matches their style of play. We have to make them shoot contested 3-pointers, keep them off the glass and make sure it doesn't turn into a track meet. We know we have to stop them in transition." The Knights counter offensively with Ryan David (13.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Dylan Vaca (12.5 ppg).

Advancement: The winner of the Woodstock North sectional advances to face the winner of the Bradley University sectional in the NIU supersectional on Tuesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. The matchups at Bradley University are Bloomington (24-6) vs. LaSalle-Peru (23-4) on Tuesday and Metamora (26-1) vs. Peoria Manual (23-4) on Wednesday.

Class 2A NIU supersectionalMatchup: Aurora Christian (25-5) vs. Rockridge (26-4), 7:30 p.m.

Outlook: Aurora Christian plays for a supersectional title for the third time in school history and the first time since former coach Don Davidson led the Eagles to a runner-up finish in Class A in 1994-95. To advance to Peoria, they must knock off the Rockets, who return three starters from last year's team that finished 31-2 and took third in Class 2A. Guard Gentry Whiteman leads the Rockets with 22 points per game. "He's their top scorer," Aurora Christian coach Pat McNamara said. "He can shoot it or drive it. He's a very aggressive player. He's the coach's son, so he knows the game very well. He goes hard to the bucket and he's got deep range from about three steps beyond the arc from what I've seen. They have other players too. Up front they go 6-5, 6-4, 6-3 and their two big guys are double-digit scorers. I think with our guys - especially the seniors and Jake Wolfe, who plays like a senior - have played a lot of games. I think they're used to the pressure." Aurora Christian counters with senior R.D. Lutze (16.6 ppg), a 47-percent 3-point shooter who hit the game-winning shot in the sectional title win over Reed-Custer, and sophomore Jake Wolfe (16.4 ppg).

Advancement: The winner of the NIU supersectional advances to a state semifinal against the winner of the Joliet Central supersectional on Friday, March 11 at 8:15 p.m.