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Scouting Fox Valley boys basketball sectionals

No. 1 Geneva (30-1) vs. No. 4 Lyons (23-9)

Class 4A Bartlett sectional semifinal

Game time: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Road to sectional: Geneva beat No. 17 Hinsdale Central 66-56 and No. 8 Wheaton Warrenville South 45-38 to win the Metea Valley regional. Lyons beat No. 13 Hinsdale South 58-44 and No. 6 Glenbard West 54-51 to win the Glenbard West regional.

Outlook: Geneva is over the regional hump for the first time since finishing fourth in Class 4A in 2015. The Vikings tied the 2015 team's school record for victories with Friday's regional final triumph. They advance to face a savvy, senior-led Lyons squad with multiple scoring options. The Lions survived Glenbard West on the Hilltoppers' home floor to win their first regional since 2011, powered by 18 points from 6-foot-2 guard Tyrese Shines, 12 points from 6-2 junior guard Grant Niego, 9 points from senior guard Josh Berry and 8 points from 6-3 senior forward Matt Sloyan. "They're very similar to us," Geneva coach Scott Hennig said. "They have smart kids. We need to play our game, rebound and make shots." Geneva senior point guard Jack McDonald scored 36 points in a regional semifinal win over Hinsdale Central. Six-five senior forward Kross Garth scored 11 points in the title game. Mitch Mascari (14 ppg) scored 25 points in the two regional victories and sank five 3-pointers. If the Vikings face Lake Park in the sectional final, it would be the third meeting between the DuKane Conference teams. Lake Park was the only team to defeat Geneva during the regular season, winning 62-56 in Roselle on Jan. 11. The Vikings split the season series with a 66-54 win in Geneva on Feb. 15.

Advancement: Winner advances to Friday's Bartlett sectional final to face the winner between No. 7 Lake Park (23-10) and No. 5 Downers Grove North (22-11).

No. 3 South Elgin (24-8) vs. No. 3 Harlem (20-11)

Class 4A Rock Valley College sectional semifinal

Game time: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Road to sectional: South Elgin beat No. 5 Hampshire 53-41 and No. 1 Cary-Grove 66-60 to win the South Elgin regional. Harlem defeated No. 6 Hononegah 70-56 and No. 7 Crystal Lake Central 58-53 to win the Crystal Lake Central regional.

Outlook: South Elgin returns to sectional play for the first time since 2014, when the Storm lost to Rockford Auburn in a sectional title game at Elgin. Led by 6-foot-7 senior forward Vincent Miszkiewicz, and 6-3 senior guards Drake Montgomery (16.2 ppg, 3.6 apg) and Jace Warrick (10.3 ppg), host South Elgin avenged a regular-season loss to top subsectional seed Cary-Grove. Miszkiewicz, named Upstate Eight Conference Player of the Year, averages 18.9 points on 58-percent shooting (233 of 399), 12.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. Montgomery paced the Storm with 27 points in the regional championship game. "We got 100-percent effort from him. He knew what the moment was all about," South Elgin coach Brett Johnson said. Warrick shoots 49 percent from 3-point range (74 of 150). Harlem makes its second sectional appearance in 44 years and first since 2002. The Huskies finished third in the NIC-10 behind Rockford East and Boylan. Senior David Williams, a 6-1 guard, sank six 3-pointers in a 25-point performance against Crystal Lake Central. Sophomore guard Bryson Thomas added 9 points.

Advancement: Winner advances to Friday's Rock Valley College sectional final to face the winner between No. 6 St. Charles North (14-17) and No. 1 Rockford East (31-2).

No. 6 St. Charles North (14-17) vs. No. 1 Rockford East (31-2)

Class 4A Rock Valley College sectional semifinal

Game time: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Road to sectional: St. Charles North beat No. 11 Elgin 64-57, No. 4 Dundee-Crown 42-30 and No. 7 Huntley 48-39 to win the St. Charles East regional. Rockford East beat No. 8 Guilford 56-42 and No. 4 Auburn 68-35 to win the Rockford East regional.

Outlook: St. Charles North's demanding regular-season schedule sharpened the postseason blade. The North Stars have faced some of the state's best, including losses to Bogan and Simeon and a win over Danville. Eight losses came against teams that won regionals last Friday. Thirteen opponents reached regional finals. The challenging slate explains how a team that entered the playoffs with only the second losing record in coach Tom Poulin's 13 seasons won the second regional title of his tenure and the school's third overall. "We knew we had it in us," Poulin said. "We had the pieces. We just had to get consistent. The guys bought in and didn't care who got the credit." Six-nine junior center Connor Linke averages 11 points and 12 rebounds per game for the North Stars. Senior guard Lucas Heflen scored 12 points in the regional final while junior guard Luke Scheffers added 11 points. Does North's experience against top-flight teams give it a chance to upset the E-Rabs, who went 18-0 in NIC-10 Conference play and set a new school record for wins? "We told our kids we haven't played Rockford East, but we've played teams that are similar in style like Bogan, Phillips, Simeon and Danville, even Moline and Rock Island," Poulin said. "We have that experience to fall back on."

No. 1 Bolingbrook (21-7) vs. No. 4 West Aurora (28-5)

Class 4A East Aurora sectional semifinal

Game time: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Road to sectional: West Aurora beat No. 20 Minooka 51-41 and No. 12 Plainfield Central 66-65 to win the Oswego regional. Bolingbrook beat No. 17 East Aurora 88-70 and No. 8 Joliet Central 78-57 to win the Bolingbrook regional.

Outlook: One of the better IHSA postseason rivalries of recent vintage is renewed. West Aurora and Bolingbrook meet in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. In 2015, Bolingbrook defeated West Aurora 50-49 in a supersectional to qualify for state and eventually finished third. It was the final game for legendary Blackhawks coach Gordie Kerkman. Two seasons ago, the Raiders defeated West Aurora 85-66 in a sectional semifinal. Last year, the Blackhawks knocked off Bolingbrook 82-67 to win a sectional title. West Aurora enjoys strong backcourt play from senior guards Traevon Brown and Marquise Walker and physical inside play from 6-2 Hezzy Salter, 6-3 Moshe Rogers and 6-3 Kelvin Balfour. Balfour was named Upstate Eight Conference defensive player of the year. Salter emerged as a force in the second half of the season. He contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds in the regional final win over Plainfield Central. The Raiders are led by 5-11 senior point guard Joseph Yesufu (Drake), 6-3 senior Tyler Cochran (Northern Illinois), 6-1 junior guard Darius Burford and 6-8 senior center Kameron Leonard (Lewis). The Raiders defeated Homewood-Flossmoor twice this season. "They're the real deal. They've been in some big games," West Aurora coach Brian Johnson said. "I like our intensity and I like what we've been doing on the defensive end of the floor, how hard we've been working. Hopefully, that will continue." The top four sectional seeds advanced to East Aurora. Oswego East went 9-0 to win the Southwest Prairie Conference by 3 games. Waubonsie Valley has won four straight games.

Advancement: Winner advances to Friday's East Aurora sectional final to face the winner between No. 2 Waubonsie Valley (27-4) and No. 3 Oswego East (23-7).

No. 1 Johnsburg (20-12) vs. No. 2 Burlington Central (25-8)

Class 3A Marengo sectional semifinal

Game time: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Road to sectional: Burlington Central beat No. 7 Sycamore 58-35 and No. 3 Wheaton Academy 57-45 to win the Wheaton Academy regional. Johnsburg beat No. 10 Marian Central 78-41 and No. 4 Rockford Lutheran to win the Johnsburg regional.

Outlook: Kishwaukee River Conference rivals meet for a third time. The Rockets and Skyhawks split two regular-season meetings, each winning at home. Johnsburg won 67-60 on Jan. 24. Central won 72-71 on Feb. 15 and went on to win the conference by a game over the Skyhawks. This matchup features two of the top scorers in the suburbs. Patrick Mayfield leads Central with 26.6 ppg. He scored 28 points against Wheaton Academy in the regional final. The 6-foot-5 senior shoots 41 percent from 3-point range (74 of 182). Johnsburg counters with senior Zach Toussaint, a 2,000-point scorer who scored 16 against Rockford Lutheran to secure the program's second straight regional title. Since Central allowed 71 points in the February win over Johnsburg, the Rockets have held five opponents to 42.4 points per game. "Our defense has really improved pretty much since the end of the third quarter against them," Central coach Brett Porto said. "It's been a lot of little things we've focused on, from how we close out to who we match up with. Guys have bought in the last two to three weeks more than they have all year." Central won its second straight regional title after a 10-year drought. The Rockets reached a sectional final last year before losing to Boylan 57-55. Central junior Jake Lenschow averages 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds and senior Braden Seyller (48 3-pointers) contributes 8.3 points per game.

Advancement: Winner advances to Friday's Marengo sectional final to face the winner between No. 1 Glenbard South (23-6) and No. 2 Woodstock North (17-14).

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