You recognize what Rolling Meadows has accomplished over the previous 5 seasons?
They’ve averaged 27 wins a 12 months over the previous 4 and completed 15-0 within the 2020-2021 pandemic-shortened season.
The Mustangs have gone 49-1 within the Mid-Suburban League East and received two Mid-Suburban League championships. They’ve received 4 regional championships.
That’s some geographical domination.
However they by no means received 30 video games and so they by no means received a sectional championship. Verify each of these off now.
With a sweep of Stevenson and Fremd within the Schaumburg Sectional, coach Kevin Katovich’s Mustangs captured this system’s first sectional title since 1990. That memorable crew was led by high-scoring guard Mike Lipnisky and reached the Class AA Elite Eight.
The Rolling Meadows program, led by Katovich, who turned the pinnacle coach in 2003, did recover from the hump. However he shortly shifted the main target past his personal accomplishments.
“Probably the most satisfying half was seeing our fan part, watching them have a good time and revel in this,” Katovich mentioned. “It’s the most important crowd I’ve seen since I’ve been at Rolling Meadows.”
Rolling Meadows is a ranked crew however has been on the again finish of these rankings, nearer to being unranked than one which’s climbed. There are simply 4 losses, which included three of these coming to groups (Metamora, Evanston and Mount Carmel) who all performed in sectional championship video games this previous weekend.
Ian Miletic is likely one of the top-ranked prospects within the Class of 2025, certainly one of solely two gamers within the class headed to a high-major program. He’s backed it up with spectacular numbers all season.
However the ranked crew and star participant have been considerably absent when discussing the perfect of this or that within the season’s basketball dialog. They’ve been a little bit of an underappreciated pair contemplating all they’ve accomplished this 12 months, which features a college file for wins and the performances Miletic has strung collectively.
Once I put collectively a Q & A narrative late within the season, one of many questions was, “What participant within the state means probably the most to their crew?” Miletic was the reply. He’s confirmed and confirmed why.
Miletic was terrific within the late-season Mid-Suburban League championship sport with 20 factors. He was even higher, extra dominant, within the two sectional wins this previous week.
The 6-7 Miletic poured in 37 factors within the sectional semifinal win over Stevenson. He then added 33 factors in beating Fremd within the sectional championship Friday night time.
“He’s been completely dominant,” Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich mentioned of Miletic. “It’s humorous, as a result of he’s been probably the most relaxed that I’ve seen all season. It’s like he’s been simply ready for this second. He is aware of what’s at stake, what the state of affairs is for us. He’s gone from 50 mph to 100 in a great way.”
But it surely was how Milietic produced that was much more spectacular. When Rolling Meadows completely wanted a basket, Miletic offered it. Huge shot after massive shot whereas doing so in an environment friendly method and whereas being the main target of each protection he confronted.
“It’s humorous, as a result of he’s been probably the most relaxed that I’ve seen all season,” Katovich mentioned. “It’s like he’s been simply ready for this second. He is aware of what’s at stake, what the state of affairs is for us. He’s gone from 50 mph to 100 in a great way.”
Seals and Edwards proceed to glitter
Senior TJ Seals is an absolute fixed for the Broncos, whether or not it’s scoring, rebounding, defending or making performs together with his uncooked athleticism and energy. He offered the tip-in on the buzzer to pressure time beyond regulation within the sectional semifinals and scored a game-high 26 factors within the sectional title sport.
Guard Amari Edwards is a constant three-point menace who should be accounted for on the perimeter. However what Edwards has offered much more of is pure poise within the greatest moments, whether or not it’s hitting massive pictures or clutch free throws for this crew. That have of taking part in in a state championship run final season is a giant plus.
The mirror picture of Wealthy and Warren basketball seasons
The seasons Warren and Wealthy have put collectively are almost mirror photos of each other. It’s virtually eerie.
They each entered the season with large expectations and very excessive rankings –– Warren was the preseason No. 2 crew whereas Wealthy checked in at No. 4.
They each began the season with early losses and handled some accidents.
They each seemed to be placing all of it collectively in late December with vacation event championships. Wealthy beat Kenwood and H-F to win the Huge Dipper Vacation Match, and Warren knocked off ranked Public League groups Younger and Lincoln Park to win the Proviso West Vacation Match.
Whereas each ramped up their schedules this season, the losses continued to pile up within the second half of the season. They each had so-so finishes to the common season — every went 6-4 down the stretch — and mixed for 18 losses on the season.
And now? They each received exhilarating sectional video games in time beyond regulation and each are taking part in in a super-sectional on Monday.
Sectional week is totally different
There may be one week of the highschool basketball season that’s fully totally different than another: sectional week.
There is no such thing as a factual knowledge to again this up, however my very own private historical past on this sport for three-plus many years is that the perfect, highest degree of basketball is performed within the sectional.
And the stress and ambiance you get in highschool gyms throughout sectional week is each electrical and distinctive. Gamers competing of their pure habitat, which is highschool gyms packed to the rafters, beats any half-filled (or quarter-filled) school enviornment.
This previous week didn’t disappoint in that division as a number of sectional championship video games have been bought out.
Evanston constructed otherwise
Evanston will not be going to wow anybody. The Wildkits aren’t constructed that means.
No, you’ll be able to’t underestimate Evanston’s X-factor — senior Theo Rocca’s management, poise and can to win. And don’t underestimate how all these items and components match so effectively collectively at each ends of the ground.
They’re unselfish offensively. The crew protection the Wildkits play isn’t one which brings warmth, nevertheless it’s so sound, disciplined and top-of-the-line you’ll watch within the ultimate week of the season.
Take away the regular-season finale loss to Niles North the place the starters didn’t play a lot in any respect. This 29-5 crew’s solely losses previously two months got here by a grand whole of six factors, together with two losses (Centralia and Metamora) on the buzzer.
Coach Mike Ellis established himself as one of many state’s prime coaches way back. However he’s one win away from guiding his fifth crew (two at Evanston and two at Peoria Richwoods) to a state semifinal look.
Benet’s unbelievable steadiness
There are various kinds of steadiness and methods a crew spreads the wealth. However Benet’s equilibrium needs to be applauded and feared.
The core group can beat you in a mess of how. A distinct participant can beat you differently on any given night time.
There may be do-it-all guard Blake Fagbemi. There may be talent, measurement and scoring in 6-9 Southern Illinois recruit Daniel Pauliukonis, a severe taking pictures menace in Jayden Wright and a towering 7-foot think about Colin Stack.
Within the sectional title sport it was Wright with 16 factors, together with 4 massive threes. Even the protection of Edward Stasys off the bench helped beat Downers Grove North.
Pauliukonis scored 20 within the regional title sport and pumped in 23 with 5 three-pointers within the sectional semifinal victory.
Wright scored 19 in an enormous ESCC win over Marist and hit three clutch free throws with 4 seconds to play to beat Simeon 67-66.
Within the common season wrap-up win over DePaul Prep, Stack put up 22 factors and 11 rebounds.
And it was Fagbemi who was the East Suburban Catholic Convention Participant of the Yr and who has put collectively the most important statiscal strains of the 12 months, together with the 22 factors, 11 rebound and 6 help efficiency in beating Wealthy.
All of them take turns.
How ridiculously balanced is that this group? These 4 gamers — Fagbemi, Wright, Stack and Pauliukonis — at the moment are all averaging an extraordinary 12 to 12.6 factors a sport between them.
Is that this the 12 months for Mike Bailey and the Shamrocks?
Mike Bailey took over the St. Patrick program in 1994. He’s received so much over the previous 30 years.
Bailey’s three-decade run contains 13 20-plus win seasons and 15 regional championships. Friday night time’s win over Fenwick gave Bailey his fifth sectional championship, together with three previously 4 years, and a faculty file 27 wins.
We don’t wish to throw any undue strain on what’s at all times a pressure-packed super-sectional sport, however the highly-successful coach is once more oh-so-close to creating his first State Finals look.
Bailey and the Shamrocks get one other crack at it Monday night time once they face Mount Carmel within the UIC Tremendous. St. Pat’s, which has by no means certified for the State Finals, misplaced to Mount Carmel in final 12 months’s supersectional.
DePaul Prep’s continued 3A dominance
DePaul’s machine-like methods in Class 3A proceed. It’s been a rinse and repeat.
Final 12 months in regional and sectional play, DePaul received 4 video games with a median victory margin of twenty-two factors. This 12 months it’s been much more dominating with the next postseason scores: 71-21, 53-27, 63-23 and 45-25.
The closest regional or sectional sport DePaul has performed the previous two years was a 46-32 regional win over Carmel final season.
Catholic League leftovers
There have been a whopping eight Chicago Catholic League groups taking part in in sectional championships Friday night time. Leo misplaced in 2A, Loyola misplaced in 4A, and a pair knocked one another out in Class 3A.
However three are left standing: DePaul Prep, Brother Rice and Mount Carmel. All three will play in separate supersectional video games on Monday night time with an opportunity to succeed in the state semifinals in Champaign. DePaul and Mount Carmel can be favored of their supersectional video games, whereas the Brother Rice-Peoria showdown on the Pontiac Tremendous can be a toss-up.
They’re again
You thought you’ll by no means hear from Glenbard West basketball once more after the magical 37-1 state championship crew in 2022?
The Hilltoppers are again with a complete new forged — however with that 1-3-1 nonetheless intact — and are one win away from a return journey to Champaign for the second time in 4 years.
That’s some heavy lifting for a program that had one sectional title within the earlier 50 years.
Teaching kudos in defeat
Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas was the Metropolis/Suburban Hoops Report Coach of the Yr in 2023. He’s acquired well-deserved accolades.
However what Thomas did this 12 months with this crew — and what he’s accomplished with this program — is value mentioning once more.
Bear in mind, this can be a DGN crew that returned only one starter from final 12 months’s sectional finalist. The rise of Bobby Grganto helped, nevertheless it’s a crew that overachieved, profitable 26 video games and upsetting Bolingbrook within the sectional semis.
Thomas’ program has performed in 4 sectional championships since 2019, profitable two sectional titles and ending fourth within the state in 2023.
How are the picks holding up?
The pre-tournament picks in Class 4A included these forecasted sectional winners earlier than regional play started: Quincy (received), Bolingbrook (misplaced in sectional semis), Glenbard West (received), Evanston (received), Kenwood (received), Homewood-Flossmoor (misplaced in sectional ultimate), Rolling Meadows (received) and Warren (received).
When making these picks two weeks in the past, I bear in mind going backwards and forwards on two sectional picks –– the 2 I incorrectly picked.
I actually favored the very fact Benet was taking part in on its dwelling ground and was oh-so-close to going that means, so hindsight is 20-20 there. However within the sectional at Wealthy, I hemmed and hawed over choosing Marist as a substitute of Homewood-Flossmoor. Fallacious on each accounts, due to the host college.
However I’ll take six of eight with all 4 of my state semifinal picks nonetheless alive.
And in Class 3A, the picks included Brother Rice (received), Peoria (received), Fenwick (misplaced within the sectional ultimate), Mount Carmel (received), DePaul (received), Kaneland (received), Decatur MacArthur (misplaced in regional ultimate) and Centralia (misplaced in sectional ultimate).
Contemplating I self-admittedly have much less of a really feel for and know a complete lot much less of groups in southern Illinois — as you’ll be able to see with the 3A picks — I’ll take it.
