North Chicago’s boys basketball team was eager to produce a strong finale. The Warhawks’ effort reflected that notion — before Marian Catholic took control in the final minutes on Saturday. North Chicago ended up with a 58-48 loss in the Class 3A third-place game in Carver Arena.

Belleville West’s boys basketball team finished its run to the Class 4A championship with a 60-56 overtime victory against Whitney Young on Saturday in Peoria’s Carver Arena.

New Elgin boys basketball boss David Hess arrives prepared for his second head coaching job.Introduced to the players and their parents at a Monday meeting, Hess, 37, spent the last nine seasons as an under-level coach at Stevenson, the last six as sophomore coach at a time when the varsity won three state trophies, highlighted by the 2014-15 Class 4A title.The 1999 Hersey graduate was a single 25-year-old in 2006, when college friends from Millikin encouraged him to apply for the then-vacant head coaching position at downstate Tuscola. Hess landed the job, though his experience coaching high school basketball to that point amounted to one year as a varsity assistant under his former coach at Hersey, Don Rowley, and one year assisting Leroy Jarka at Lane Tech.He directed the Warriors to a 41-46 record over three seasons, including two winning campaigns, a conference title and a regional championship in 2007-08. “David knows what he’s doing,” said Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose. “He’s been a head coach before and he did a great job as our sophomore coach. He was the head assistant during our runs and certainly did as much as anyone in our program at that point. He really helped us. He is worthy, willing and able. I could use a lot of adjectives. We’re losing a good one.” Hess grew up in Arlington Heights, where he resides with his wife and three children. He was willing to take a step back from being a head coach nine years ago, he said, to return to the area and work in District 125 under a coach of Ambrose’s caliber. Better-seasoned, Hess gets a second chance to handle his own program, one that originated in 1899.“I’ve prepared for a long time with this goal in mind,” he said. “I feel I’m better prepared to know what to expect being a head coach. It’s really like running a small business with your coaching staff, the feeder system, administration and players and communicating with them all. I feel I’ve improved in so many aspects.”Hess replaces Mike Sitter, who announced in January he was leaving after 11 seasons to become athletic director at Hampshire. Hess kept tabs on the opening — brother-in-law Drew Smith is Elgin’s boys track and field coach — and first inquired about the job a month ago. He will teach social studies full time at Elgin.“I’ve been looking last year and this year for something near where we live, a good program, a good school,” he said. “Obviously, the tradition at Elgin is excellent.”Elgin athletic director Paul Pennington had two requirements during the hiring process.“We were looking for somebody, number one, in the building,” Pennington said. “Number two, somebody that can relate to (the players) other than just basketball. David has all the tools and the credentials and, certainly, the references to come with that coming from Stevenson and having that experience. But also being a head coach at a smaller school provided him some opportunities and some steppingstones to be here.”Hess spent Tuesday leading Elgin’s summer basketball camp, then coached the Maroons in an evening summer-league game at Crystal Lake South.“He’s a hard worker already,” Pennington added. “And he’s shown us some things — that he knows Elgin High School, knows the tradition it’s had in basketball. He has that a depth of knowledge and has done his homework to want to be here and want to coach our kids.”Hess said Maroons fans can expect hard-nosed man-to-man defense “90-95 percent of the time” and a fluid offense he implemented at Stevenson.

Elk Grove High School has named Nick Oraham, former Dixon High School head coach, as the Grens’ basketball coach.

Johnny O’Shea reached the highest levels of high school sports achievement at Palatine in three sports. Bound for a football future at Butler, he’s the Daily Herald’s choice as Northwest male high school athlete of the year.

West Aurora’s Camron Donatlan is the 2017-18 Daily Herald Fox Valley Male Athlete of the Year.

Libertyville three-sport standout Brendan Cook has been selected as the Daily Herald’s Lake County high school sports male athlete of the year.

Lake Zurich has announced the hiring of Terence Coughlin, pending school board approval later this month, as its boys basketball coach.

Elgin High graduate and Triton College national champion basketball player Courtese Cooper signed with LSU during a visit to the Baton Rouge campus Thursday.

Lozano to succeed the late Daryl Thomas as Montini boys basketball coach

Boys basketball: Gene Nolan is set to take the reins at Naperville North.

After a successful run as Lake Zurich’s boys basketball coach, Billy Pitcher is in as Lake Park’s new leader.

After meeting with his players and coaches on Thursday, Anthony Furman has stepped down after leading the Elk Grove boys basketball program as head coach for 11 years.

Former Grant basketball coach Tom Maple passed away last Saturday, more tough news for a community that will dearly miss his presence.

Hersey has announced the hiring of Austin Scott as the sixth boys basketball varsity head coach in the program’s history.He succeeds Steve Messer, who led the team for the previous 12 seasons and finished with a record of 291-283 at Hersey.

Coaching is Antonio Maestranzi’s renewed purpose, the former Bartlett and Northern Illinois basketball player said Wednesday. Maestranzi, 33, will be the next boys basketball coach at Rockford Guilford High School, pending approval of the Rockford School Board, RPS District 205 announced.

Curie junior basketball player Marquise Walker has transferred to West Aurora.

Former boys and girls basketball greats from Dundee-Crown and Jacobs high schools will come together May 12 for an alumni games with the proceeds going to help 2009 D-C grad Greg McNally and his family with ongoing medical bills.

Once Libertyville’s Drew Peterson decided to make official college visits following his senior basketball season, the 6-foot-8 guard/forward wasted little time making his choice. He chose Rice University on Tuesday, verbally committing to Owls head coach Scott Pera after he and his parents, Michael and Stacey, visited the Texas campus over the weekend.

Westminster Christian boys basketball coach Andy Zielinski resigned Tuesday to accept the same position at St. Edward.

Daryl Thomas, Montini boys basketball coach the past three seasons and an all-Big Ten player on Indiana University's 1987 NCAA Division I basketball championship team, died Wednesday morning.

The Lake County Senior Shootout is set for its ninth edition. The annual high school boys and girls all-star game will be played on Friday, April 13, at Waukgean High School.

Onetime Hoffman Estates standout guard Jonny Reibel has earned a spot in the Rollins College Hall of Fame.

The success of Loyola’s basketball program is no surprise to Ed Molitor Jr., who had a good view of Porter Moser’s coaching aptitude when both were collegiate players.

Picking the right words to describe the high school basketball season for the Fox Valley area isn’t easy.

Paul Kowalyszyn has stepped down as Streamwood boys basketball coach.

Reflecting on the weekend in Peoria and the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament.

High school boys basketball results from games of Wednesday, Feb. 28.

High school boys basketball results from games of Friday, March 16.

Springfield Southeast denied North Chicago the finish it was hoping for in the Class 3A boys basketball state semifinals at Carver Arena in the Peoria Civic Center. The Warhawks fell 60-38.

Here’s what to expect from Friday’s Class 4A state semifinal boys basketball game between Larkin and Belleville West.

The boys basketball teams from Larkin, Evanston, Whitney Young, North Chicago, Marian Catholic and Morgan Park help lend a northerly flavor to this weekend’s 3A and 4A state finals in Peoria. But Belleville West and Springfield Southeast intend to make a powerful downstate case at Carver Arena.

Wednesday was not your normal day at Larkin High School. The entire school took on a little different air, courtesy of the Royals’ boys basketball team.

Larkin’s boys basketball team earned its first trip to the state finals Tuesday night with a 53-46 win over Benet Academy at the Class 4A NIU supersectional.

High school boys basketball results from games of Tuesday, March 13.