The Burlington Central MLK Classic opened with four games Wednesday and the host school won two of them.

Brad Stec was battered but certainly not beaten.

The upward trajectories of two Fox Valley Conference teams intersect when Hampshire visits Dundee-Crown Friday at 7 p.m.

Huntley knew it had its hands full Wednesday hosting a Hampshire team that scored 75 and 81 points in a pair of wins last weekend. The Red Raiders showed they were up for the challenge, crashing the glass early, hustling to loose balls all night and slowing down the Whip-Purs’ high-powered attack for a 67-53 victory.

The Dundee-Crown boys basketball team inserted itself in the thick of the Fox Valley Conference title chase Wednesday by handcuffing Crystal Lake Central in a 39-32 win in Carpentersville.

Cover high school sports for a living and you get the same question from the barber, from the dental hygienist, from the kid bagging groceries.

Plug one leak against the Hampshire boys basketball team and two more are liable to pop up.

Maybe, Hampshire boys basketball coach Ben Whitehouse should consider bringing junior standout Collin Woods off the bench.

Cary-Grove coach Adam McCloud could finally breathe a little easier.

Crystal Lake Central successfully used the combination of a full court press to create turnovers and a sharp-shooting offensive night to defeat Hampshire 75-58 and win the E.C. Nichols Holiday Tournament in Marengo Saturday night.

Heading into the 2018 basketball season, Hampshire junior Collin Woods made it a goal to improve his defense and his shooting, and judging by Friday night’s performance, he’s definitely meeting his goals. The Whip-Purs defeated Marengo 67-51 in the semifinal of the E.C. Nichols tournament to advance to the championship game Saturday night against defending tournament champion Crystal Lake Central. Woods scored 13 points using a combination of 3-pointers and inside post ups, but it was his two powerful dunks that energized the Hampshire fans and help lead the Whip-Purs on a second-quarter run.“Last year I was mostly an inside player, but coming into this year I just wanted to extend my game into the 3-point range, and be a little more active defensively too,” Woods said. “I’m just trying to mold my game all-around. It (the dunk) gets everyone going and the momentum really swings our way.”Hampshire (8-4) led 18-11 after the first quarter, but Marengo (6-8) pulled to within 18-14 on Nick Wascher’s 3-pointer to start the second quarter. The Indians would then be outscored 20-1 before the buzzer sounded for the end of the half.After J.D. Shaw’s layup, senior Kyle Johnson added a layup and a 3, and Justin Anderson then nailed two 3s of his own. Woods added his first dunk as the half came to an end. Jeremy Rosa Jr. tallied the first bucket for the Whip-Purs to start the second half, and then Woods stole a pass and took off for his second dunk of the night. Hampshire would end up making the score 45-17 before Marengo would score again.Hampshire coach Ben Whitehouse wants his team to play fast and up-tempo, and he noticed early on in the game that his team wasn’t playing as fast as he liked.“They (Marengo) came out in a 3-2 zone, so I knew we had to get stops and really hit the boards,” Whitehouse said. “They hit two tough shots right off the bat and then we had two good looks and missed, so it was just a matter of getting our stops to allow us to get going and then we took off from there. “Our expectation is to go out and compete and try to get better. We try to focus on the process as opposed to the result, because the results will take care of themselves.”

Rockford Christian came into the quarterfinals of the 69th annual E.C. Nichols tournament at Marengo on Thursday with a team that likes to push the pace. That suits Hampshire just fine.

Hampshire made quick work of Woodstock North at the E.C. Nichols Holiday Tournament in Marengo Saturday afternoon, winning 75-42 to advance to a Thursday matchup versus Rockford Christian.

The boys basketball holiday tournament season starts with a flurry this weekend and hits with the full force of a winter storm the day after Christmas.

You couldn’t ask for much more in an early season battle of Fox Valley Conference unbeatens than Hampshire and Crystal Lake Central provided Wednesday night.

Ryan Connolly of Grayslake North is this week’s Daily Herald MVP for boys basketball.

The Hampshire boys basketball team used its height advantage to pull out a 51-48 come-from-behind Fox Valley Conference victory over Jacobs Friday night in Algonquin.

Hampshire defeated Crystal Lake South in Fox Valley Conference action Wednesday night.

Through its first 3 games of the season, South Elgin’s basketball team has shown a propensity for fast-paced, end-to-end action.

It was admittedly a little rough around the edges at times but St. Charles East opened its 60th annual Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament with a victory Monday night.