Beating a team three times in a season is tough enough. When you face that same opponent for the fourth time, and in the Class 4A state tournament, well it’s a whole new ballgame. But that’s what Buffalo Grove did Wednesday night in beating Wheeling 51-49 at home in the semifinals. The win now pits the Bison against Barrington Friday night.

Fifteen victories and a winning record on the season. Schaumburg boys basketball coach Wade Heisler said that those two objectives were goals for his team this year, and they achieved both in a 45-36 win over Wheeling Tuesday night.

Like father, like son. Tony Lavorato Jr., who is the head boys basketball coach at Maine South, joined his father, Tony Lavorato Sr. in the 400-win club on January 15 when the Hawks beat Perspectives from the Chicago Public League.

Saturday’s area boys basketball schedule received a bonus game tossed into its lineup when Conant and Wheeling tipped off in a Mid-Suburban League crossover on the Wildcats’ home floor. Conant was seeking to bounce back after a tough MSL West road loss at Barrington Friday night against a Wheeling team that was coming off earning its first MSL East win against Elk Grove less than 24 hours earlier. Conant would grab that momentum in the game’s first period and took full utilization as it successfully moved past the host Wildcats 54-33 to earn its 10th win of the season.

Wheeling’s Elijah Hutchinson broke the hearts of Elk Grove’s boys basketball team and fans Friday night. The visiting Grenadiers, looking to break a long losing streak in the Mid-Suburban East, led 56-55 with just seconds remaining on the Wildcats’ home court. Then Hutchinson delivered a dagger. The 6-foot-3 senior measured a long 3-pointer from just to the left of the top of the key with 10 ticks left in the game, and sank the clutch shot to give Wheeling the lead. Elk Grove rushed the ball downc ourt, then after a timeout, a contested Grens 3-point shot for the win fell short as Wheeling won 58-56.

When Mike Obsuszt became head basketball coach at Barrington in 1996, he wondered where all the school basketball records were. Obsuszt put thought to paper the past two years and produced a book that was recently released called “The Unofficial History of Barrington High School Boys’ Basketball”.

After a 2020 Christmas basketball season where teams were all given coal in their stockings, the presents were back in 2021 thanks to the return of holiday basketball tournaments.

There will be an extra gift under boys high school basketball fans trees this Christmas. After holiday tournaments were cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, they return this season, so there will be plenty of bouncing basketballs all over the state.

It’s been a season of big comebacks. And Buffalo Grove didn’t want to add its name to the list. The Bison led by 17 points in the second quarter and then watched as Wheeling rallied to cut the lead to just one. But Buffalo Grove dug deep and held off the Wildcats 62-50 Friday in a Mid-Suburban East boys basketball game in Buffalo Grove.

Jackson Hupp delivered a left hook to the jaw of Wheeling Friday night in Arlington Heights. The freshman’s shot turned out to be a knockout punch as the ball dropped through the hoop as time expired to lift the Huskies to 50-49 Mid-Suburban East boys basketball win over the Wildcats.

Thanksgiving is just over a week ago. But there are still some delicious leftovers from the boys basketball holiday tournaments.

Here’s a look at the boys basketball season in the Mid-Suburban East