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Scouting Tri-Cities boys basketball regional championship games

Class 3A Kaneland regional final

No. 1 Kaneland (17-9) vs. No. 3 Marmion (16-14)

Outlook: Marmion seeks its first regional title since 1977, Kaneland since only 2012. The nonconference foes met Jan. 14, Kaneland winning 49-47 on forward Tyler Carlson's 2 free throws with 1.3 seconds left. This figures to be a whale of game. Both teams can get points from a variety of sources and from both their front- and backcourts. They both have defensive stoppers, like Carlson for Kaneland, Jordan Glasgow for Marmion. Each has a wild card - Kaneland sophomore guard Dylan Vaca, who hit for 20 points in the Knights' 81-70 semifinal victory over Glenbard South; Marmion 6-2 senior forward Danny Bicknell, who St. Francis coach Bob Ward said killed his team with 10 rebounds in the Cadets' 73-57 win Wednesday. When it comes to getting into offense Kaneland's Drew David and Marmion's Michael Sheehan are good ones. Since their prior meeting Kaneland is 8-4 while Marmion is 9-4.

Advancement: The winner advances to play the winner of the Freeport regional final between Rockford Lutheran and Belvidere in Tuesday's Hampshire sectional semifinal.

Class 4A West Aurora regional final

No. 2 West Aurora (22-5) vs. No. 11 Plainfield North (21-7)

Outlook: Based on regional experience this is a mismatch. Coach Bob Krahulik's Plainfield North squad won a 2009 title while West Aurora owns 38 with consecutive sectional titles. Gordie Kerkman's Blackhawks still might like to start faster than in Tuesday's semifinal against No. 15 seed Oswego, which they beat 66-55. Plainfield North edged a quality Neuqua Valley program 48-46. Guard Isaiah Webster, averaging 3.5 assists, is the Tigers' sole senior starter but 6-4 Division I prospect, junior Trevor Stumpe, is a two-year starter averaging 24 points and 6.2 rebounds. Six-three Kevin Nowak and 6-3 Kevin Krieger also are scoring in double figures. West Aurora doesn't brim with regional-final experience as only guards of Matt Dunn and Jontrell Walker are tested. But 23-point scorer Walker is a proven big-game winner. Junior forward Roland Griffin, a 15-point scorer, didn't shrink at Pontiac.

Advancement: The winner advances to play the winner of the Plainfield East regional final between Bolingbrook and Geneva in Wednesday's East Aurora sectional semifinal.

Class 4A St. Charles North regional final

No. 4 South Elgin (16-14) vs. No. 3 St. Charles East (18-11)

Outlook: St. Charles East, seeking its first regional title since 2007, enjoyed dispatching higher-seeded St. Charles North, 65-50. South Elgin, by 71-70 in overtime, upset No. 1 seed Larkin, which was ranked third by the Daily Herald. That Upstate Eight River player of the year Kendale McCullum was suspended meant little to St. Charles East coach Patrick Woods. "With McCullum (South Elgin) only lost by two to Larkin and had a 3-pointer at the buzzer that rimmed out," he told ace Daily Herald correspondent Craig Brueske. First-year Storm coach Matt Petersen has a gaggle of sophomores surrounding senior guards Matt McClure and Darius Wells, who hit Larkin with 25 points. It's a team of the future. The Saints, fairly loaded, are one of the present and future, but Woods won't let them come in overconfident - even despite handling their rival with senior guard Dom Adduci 14 points below his average of 21.

Advancement: The winner advances to play the winner of the Crystal Lake Central regional final between Dundee-Crown and Jacobs in Wednesday's Elgin sectional semifinal.

4 Class 4A Plainfield East regional final

No. 3 Bolingbrook (21-5) vs. No. 6 Geneva (23-5)

Outlook: You'd have to go to Geneva's 1963 downstate team, a 30-game winner, since the last time the Vikings won 23 games. Their last regional title came in 1986, compared to Bolingbrook's in 2009. Geneva coach Phil Ralston said Bolingbrook may present a size disadvantage, bringing a few players the size of 6-foot-7, 260-pound Vikings post Loudon Vollbrecht - 6-6 starter Kenny Williams and Raiders subs 6-8 Shakur Triplett and 6-8 Julian Torres. Along with the Vikings' 6-7 18-point scorer Nate Navigato and 6-7 Mike Landi, Geneva counters with dogged defense in guards Pace Temple, Chris Parrilli and Daniel Santacaterina plus 4-assist man Cam Cook. Geneva will need all it can muster to contain Bolingbrook's guard tandem of junior Prentiss Nixon and senior Gage Davis, who led the Raiders to a 17-point win over Batavia and average 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Advancement: The winner advances to play the winner of the West Aurora regional final between West Aurora and Plainfield North in Wednesday's East Aurora sectional semifinal.

- Compiled by Dave Oberhelman

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