Scouting the Class 3A NIU boys basketball supersectional
Class 3A Northern Illinois University
supersectional
Glenbard South (25-6) vs. Peoria Manual (18-11)
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday at the NIU Convocation Center, DeKalb.
Road to the supersectional: A No. 1 subsectional seed out of the Marengo sectional complex, Glenbard South beat No. 8 Kaneland 74-55 and No. 5 Montini 60-56 in overtime to win the IMSA regional. The Raiders beat No. 2 Woodstock North 65-34 and No. 2 Burlington Central 42-38 to win the Marengo sectional.
A No. 2 subsectional seed out of the Bradley University sectional complex, Manual beat No. 7 Illinois Valley Central 71-69 and No. 3 Metamora 45-36 to win the East Peoria regional. The Rams beat No. 1 Rock Falls 57-48 and No. 1 Peoria Notre Dame 57-54 in overtime to win the Bradley University sectional.
Playoff history: Coach Wade Hardtke's Glenbard South Raiders are making the program's second supersectional appearance. It's Glenbard South's first since the 1999-2000 season when retired coach Dave Lohrke's Raiders lost to eventual Class AA winner West Aurora also at NIU.
Peoria Manual is one of Illinois' storied programs. In a history spanning more than 100 years the Rams have won five state championships and own 15 overall state trophies. Coach Willie Coleman's Rams come off the program's 24th sectional title. Peoria Manual has won 14 supersectional titles, most recently in 2016 when it finished third in Class 3A.
Probable starters
Glenbard South Manual
Name Ht. Yr. PPG. Pos. Name Ht. Yr. PPG.
Kevin Enright 6-1 Sr. 7.6 PG Myriece Byrd 5-11 Jr. 8.8
Nick Plaso 6-1 Jr. 4.9 G Quintez Edwards 6-1 Sr. 12.7
Tommy Powers 6-3 Sr. 9.9 F/G Rolando Brown 6-2 Jr. 16.9
Cole Hardtke 6-4 Sr. 12.2 F Emaryon Byrd 6-4 So. 8.8
Ryan Harrington 6-8 Sr. 7.2 C/F Storm Hangen 6-4 Jr. 2.6
Outlook: Glenbard South was tested the entire regular season by playing Class 4A teams in 25 of 27 games. The Raiders' 60-57 loss to Upstate Eight Conference foe Streamwood was its sole loss to a team that didn't win 20 games; Glenbard South finished third in the UEC behind West Aurora and South Elgin, each of which won regional titles.
Glenbard South, whose core has played together since the feeder-team days, may not be the quickest, fastest, highest-scoring or biggest team out there, with 6-foot-3 Spencer Pyle subbing in for Harrington and 5-8 Tavion Keith, 5-10 Ahmad Malik and 6-0 Cade Hardtke also off the bench. (Cole and Cade Hardtke are the coach's sons.) The Raiders' strength is a team game that includes outrebounding its foes, committing fewer turnovers (5 against Burlington Central) and holding teams to 27 percent 3-point shooting.
Only twice this season has Glenbard South's man-to-man defense allowed 60 points or more. Opponents average 46 points, and in the sectional final Burlington Central scored 26 points below its average. Individually Enright is the defensive stopper, regardless of an opponent's size or position. He held Woodstock North's 5-8 Ryan Shaffter to 3 points after Shaffter scored 27 the game before; Enright limited 6-4 Burlington Central 26-point scorer Patrick Mayfield to 10 points. Keith, a 24-game starter until sidelined by a wrist injury, can fluster foes with his quick feet and hands.
The Raiders rely on a half-court offense designed mainly around set plays. Cole Hardtke improved from a bit role as a junior to lead the Raiders in scoring and rebounding, at 5.8 a game. All except for Harrington (40 blocks), Pyle and Malik are 3-point threats, Powers making 40 percent from the arc. Glenbard South is sound at crunchtime, shooting 213 more free throws than its opponents and making 68.5 percent. Cole Hardtke makes 80 percent from the line, Enright 67 percent, each on at least 125 attempts.
Peoria Manual has turned it up several notches since the new year. Starting the season 5-6 the Rams have gone 13-5 since a quick two-and-out at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. A good indication of Manual's improvement came in the sectional final when the Rams avenged two prior losses to Peoria Notre Dame in the Big Twelve Conference, where Manual finished tied for fifth at 5-5.
The Journal Star reported that Edwards made a 3 to send the sectional final into overtime, then sealed the win on a layup off a rebound and assist by Rolando “Pee Wee” Brown. These are two of the key players for a Rams squad that averages 56 points.
It's a team that shares the ball and rebounds it well. Myriece Byrd leads Manual with 6.1 assists a game, but he is just one of four Rams who average at least 4.5 assists a game. While Edwards can make Manual go from the arc — he leads the squad with 37 3-pointers on 46 percent perimeter shooting — Brown is a load shooting, driving, rebounding and on defense. He averages 8.8 rebounds, while in 22 games 6-7 center Joshua Ivory averaged 6.2 boards. Again, rebounding is a team effort with both Myriece and Emaryon Byrd and Hangen ranging from 4.5 to 6 rebounds a game.
In initial scouting efforts Glenbard South coach Wade Hardtke called Manual a very quick, athletic team with some length, on the order of a Larkin or West Aurora on the Raiders' schedule. He said the Rams showed full-court pressure but did not start the Peoria Notre Dame game with it. Like the Raiders, they'll go up-tempo if opportunity affords but don't necessarily look to constantly run and gun.
Keys for Glenbard South's advancement include its ball possession and team defense as usual, and its ability to adjust to a larger court and a bigger stage.
Advancement: The winner advances to the Class 3A semifinals, 1 p.m. Friday at Carver Arena in Peoria, to play the winner of the Springfield supersectional between East St. Louis and Springfield Southeast.
— Dave Oberhelman