Boys basketball: Scouting the Class 1A Harvest Christian sectional
Class 1A Harvest Christian Academy sectional
Pairings: Tuesday - Game 1) Westminster Christian (22-6) vs. St. Francis de Sales (12-13), 7 p.m.; Wednesday - Game 2) Rockford Christian Life vs. Luther North-Ida Crown winner, 7 p.m.; Friday - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 for the sectional title, 7 p.m.
Outlook: Back in the sectional round for the second straight season, the Warriors hope to advance beyond a semifinal this time. To do so, they'll have to beat the team from Westminster Christian coach Bruce Firchau's boyhood neighborhood on Chicago's south side. Firchau said he grew up "40 seconds away" from the St. Francis de Sales campus. He used to take part in pickup games as a kid "but they would never pass me the ball because I was the public school kid," Firchau said. "That's when I learned to rebound."
St. Francis de Sales is led by senior Tyler Streeter, who scored 29 points in Friday's regional title victory over Chicago Hope Academy. But the Pioneers also benefitted from the production of Derrick Dawson (19 points) and Erik Rodriguez (17 points). "Tyler Streets is a heck of a player," Firchau said. "He was good when we saw him at our place two years ago. He's 6-3 or 6-4 and he plays hard-nosed man-to-man defense. Rodriguez is a good 6-3 and thick. They play him at the four and he likes that high post area. When they fast break, they're serious about it and they like to run the fast break a lot." Westminster will have to cut down on its turnovers to remain competitive at the sectional level. The Warriors defeated Mooseheart in a regional final despite committing 18 of them. They made up for those miscues with 17 points apiece from senior Sam Carani and junior Dillon Rejman, the latter of whom sank five 3-pointers, four in the third quarter. "We have to pass the ball better," Firchau said. "Mooseheart's length really bothered us. Ball movement will be critical." Rejman has connected on 78 3-pointers in 174 attempts (44.8 percent). Carani averages 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds.