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Scouting DuPage County boys basketball teams in the playoffs

Class 3A Woodstock North sectional

Top four seeds: Burlington Central, Kaneland, Marengo, Rockford Boylan.

Regional hosts: Freeport, Glenbard South, Kaneland, Woodstock.

Players to watch: Billy Bair, Glenbard South; DeAnte Barnes, Belvidere; Zach Couper, Rockford Boylan; Brett Czerak, Aurora Central Catholic; Ryan David, Kaneland; Sam Fehrle, Rockford Boylan; Ryan Fitzgerald, Burlington Central; Gabe Johnson, St. Francis; Zach Knobloch, Marengo; Tommy Lucca, Genoa-Kingston; Adam Pischke, Marian Central; Anthony Polinski, Wheaton Academy; Vannis Smith, Woodstock; Luke Tuttle, Hampshire; Jayston Williams, Montini; John Young, Marmion.

Outlook: Seeded as a subsectional, Woodstock North encompasses two disparate groups - Woodstock and Freeport regionals, and Glenbard South and Kaneland regionals. Rockford Boylan, No. 1 among the first group and playing at Freeport, is 27-2 and 16-0 in the NIC-10, ranked fifth in Class 3A by the Associated Press. The Titans added nonconference wins over Geneva, Peoria Manual and Zion-Benton. Headed by 6-5 wing Zach Couper and 6-7 post Sam Fehrle, coach Mike Winters can go 11 deep with eight players averaging 4.5 points a game or higher. Yet No. 4 seed Marian Central (16-9) faced five 20-win teams in the East Suburban Catholic Conference and was 13-3 outside the ESCC. The Freeport winner plays the winner from Kaneland, where the No. 2 Knights (18-7) may get a test by Aurora Central Catholic and 20-point scorer Brett Czerak. At Woodstock, No. 2 Marengo (21-7) - led by Zach Knobloch, who ACC coach Nathan Drye called "the best shooter in the entire state" - figures to battle 18-7 Woodstock though Genoa-Kingston's Tommy Lucca is all-state caliber. The Woodstock winner feeds into a sectional semifinal against the winner of the Glenbard South regional, which is where the DuPage County teams reside as well as No. 1 seed Burlington Central (25-3). The Rockets, lifted from the Big Northern East where they topped Marengo and Genoa, set a program wins record and seek coach and alumnus Brett Porto's first regional title. Forward Ryan Fitzgerald averages 18 points and nearly 8 rebounds and made three all-tournament teams. The probable and easy pick would be Burlington Central against Glenbard South for the regional title. The Raiders (17-9), headed by the Bair brothers, forward Billy and junior post Charlie among a tall and/or physical roster of many quality players, trailed only Riverside-Brookfield in the Metro Suburban West - though they took a loss to No. 7 seed Wheaton Academy. The tough Chicago Catholic League schedule comes into play regarding middle seeds Marmion, St. Francis and Montini. Five CCL teams played for Class 2A regional titles on Friday, a testament to the league's ability to prepare its members for the postseason.

They said it: "For us, looking at what we've gone through on our (Chicago Catholic League) schedule, I feel like we've gone through the fires," said St. Francis coach Erin Dwyer. "One thing I learned a long time ago is everybody can be beaten. They're still high school kids so anything can happen. You've got to take it one game at a time."

Class 4A Riverside-Brookfield sectional

Top four seeds: Curie, Kenwood, Riverside-Brookfield, Whitney Young.

Regional hosts: Curie, Morton, St. Ignatius, Whitney Young.

Players to watch: Xavier Castaneda, Whitney Young; Jalen Clanton, Riverside-Brookfield; Devon Gage, Curie; Daniko Jackson, Riverside-Brookfield; Manny Patterson, Kenwood; Nick Robinson, Kenwood; Breshawn Wilkerson, Oak Park; George Willborn, De La Salle; Antonio Williams, Proviso East.

Outlook: The field includes two of the four semifinalists from the Chicago Public League playoffs, No. 1 seed Curie and No. 2 Kenwood. The latter advanced to the CPL title game and lost to Simeon. Fourth seeded Whitney Young (17-8) lost to Simeon in the quarterfinals. No. 3 seed Riverside-Brookfield (21-5) joins them among the top 14 teams in the CSN Preps Boys Basketball Power Rankings, with Kenwood (19-4) ranked No. 2 in 4A by the Associated Press followed by No. 3 Curie (21-5). Curie's DePaul-bound Devon Gage is typical of a group that offers Division I prospects at several schools. Coach Tom McCloskey of Riverside-Brookfield (20-5) called it the deepest sectional in the state. That's because even a No. 10 seed like St. Ignatius, out of the Chicago Catholic League, has a chance. Curie has the easiest road to a regional title, but elsewhere the top seeds will be challenged by teams such as Proviso East, Morton, De La Salle and Oak Park. Fenton returns guard Bryan Larsen from an ankle injury suffered in early February. The Bison face an athletic 18-10 Schurz team that likes to race downcourt. "I think it's going to be anybody's game," Bison coach Josh Payton said.

They said it: "Anyone in the top eight or nine (seeds), they're just unbelievable. Everybody (in the sectional) has either a lot of good opponents or a lot of wins," Payton said.

Class 4A Lockport sectional

Top four seeds: Minooka, Lincoln-Way Central, Joliet West, Oswego.

Regional hosts: Andrew, Lincoln-Way Central, Minooka, Neuqua Valley.

Players to watch: Trevian Bell, Joliet West; Joe Butler, Minooka; Jacob Cushing, Neuqua Valley; Elyjah Goss, Plainfield East; Teyvion Kirk, Joliet West; Kevin Krieger, Plainfield North; Mitch Kwasigroch, Lincoln-Way Central; P.J. Pipes, Lemont; Malique Ross, Oswego; Joe Sieger, Neuqua Valley.

Outlook: An atypical No. 14 seed in a rare season winning less than 20 games, Neuqua Valley (10-18) is by its lonesome among teams from the Southwest Prairie, South Suburban and Southwest Suburban conferences. Worthy, but none are ranked among the area's top teams, and the group benefits by Homewood-Flossmoor and Thornton playing elsewhere. The No. 1 seed, Minooka (21-8), is a solid defensive outfit that won the Southwest Prairie over 17-9 Plainfield North, a No. 6 seed. Minooka won the conference for the first time since 1991 according to the Morris Herald News. Lincoln-Way Central (17-8) is the sectional's No. 2 seed, but finished fourth in the Southwest Suburban Red. A pretty open sectional, a team like No. 8 Bolingbrook (14-10) could be in the running and No. 4 Oswego (16-9) can never be ignored. Neuqua, led by 6-7 Jacob Cushing and 17-point scorer Joe Sieger, opens against No. 20 Lincoln-Way East and would play 6-5 Trevian Bell and No. 3 Joliet West (17-9). Wildcats coach Todd Sutton called it the most talented team "by far."

They said it: "He's a winner," Sutton said of Minooka's Butler. "He does everything - rebounds, defense, posts up, shoots 3s. High-intensity guy, fun to watch. If he was 6-7 he'd be at Duke."

Class 4A East Aurora sectional

Top four seeds: Benet, Glenbard West, Naperville North, Hinsdale South.

Regional hosts: Benet, Glenbard East, Hinsdale Central, Lyons Twp.

Players to watch: Denis Alibegovic, Downers Grove South; Barret Benson, Hinsdale South; Tai Bibbs, West Chicago; Peter Blust, Hinsdale Central; Matt Dacy-Seijo, Wheaton Warrenville South; Mitch Lewis, Naperville North; Rowan McGowen, Wheaton North; Matthew Meier, Naperville Central; Justin Pierce, Glenbard West; Dan Sobolewski, Benet.

Outlook: An incredibly balanced field features about a half dozen teams that could win the sectional title. About 10 additional teams are capable of beating those favorites. One safe bet is top-seeded Benet (25-3), a sectional champion two years ago that went on to finish second in Class 4A. The Redwings, who claimed a share of the East Suburban Catholic Conference title, lean on a trio of senior veterans in Dan Sobolewski, James Dockery and Jason Malonga. They'll enjoy the added advantage of hosting a regional where No. 8 Wheaton Warrenville South and No. 9 Naperville Central also reside. Second-seeded Glenbard West (23-3), coming off its first conference title in 43 years, may have the best player in the sectional in William & Mary-bound Justin Pierce, averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds. The Hilltoppers face a tough regional road at Hinsdale Central, where the three teams that beat them - No. 7 Wheaton North, the No. 10 Red Devils and Proviso West - all await. Third-seeded Naperville North (22-4) boasts the sectional's most balanced lineup led by Mitch Lewis, named the most valuable player in the DuPage Valley Conference, Chris Johnson and Winston Elston. If the seeds play out the Huskies would face a regional final at Lyons Twp. against No. 6 York, which beat Naperville North in the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic title game. At Glenbard East, No. 4 Downers Grove South (20-9) and No. 5 Hinsdale South (20-9) could meet for a fourth time this season in the regional final. The Hornets and 6-foot-10 Barret Benson, a Northwestern recruit averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds, have beaten Downers South twice. Don't fall asleep on Upstate Eight Valley co-champs Glenbard East and West Chicago, which is headed to Lyons Twp. Four sectional teams - Benet, Naperville North, Wheaton North and Hinsdale Central - enter the playoffs riding at least a five-game winning streak.

They said it: "The parity in the sectional is unbelievable," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. "The seeds aren't very important because I don't know that there's much difference in the top and the bottom. It's all about who's playing better on a given night."

Class 4A Fremd sectional

Top four seeds: Conant, Fremd, Lake Zurich, St. Viator.

Regional hosts: Barrington, Conant, McHenry, Schaumburg.

Players to watch: Joe Gatziolis, Elk Grove; Frankie Mack, Prospect; Jared Murphy, Rolling Meadows; Nick Penny, Lake Zurich; Kyle Sliwa, Fremd; Jimmy Sotos, Conant; Jamal Thomas, Grayslake North; Jorden Thornton, Hoffman Estates; Bailey Vance, Lake Park; Kevin Walsh, St. Viator.

Outlook: Lake Park won last year's sectional title - the first in program history - but this season's path to a repeat is completely different. The sixth-seeded Lancers (16-10) were poised to vie for a top seed until a rash of injuries, including to leading scorer Kenny Bogus, led to a five-game losing streak. If the Lancers can heal enough, they could compete again for the sectional title. Bailey Vance, who scored 32 points in last week's win over Neuqua Valley, has helped filled the void. Dan Hynes was a pivotal part of last season's playoff run. The Lancers sit in the McHenry regional where No. 3 Lake Zurich (21-9) and standouts Nick Penny and Nick Meyer likely would await in the final. First, though, Lake Park faces the winner of a quarterfinal between No. 11 Hersey and No. 22 Dundee-Crown. The top two sectional seeds hold a major advantage. While No. 1 Conant (19-6) and Jimmy Sotos host a regional, No. 2 Fremd (21-6) will be at home if it wins the Barrington regional title.

They said it: "After suffering so many injuries our guys are starting to get back in a groove," said Lake Park coach Josh Virostko. "It's good to be getting a little momentum heading into the sectional."

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