BCR Girls Basketball Regional Previews

Class 1A St. Bede Regional

Team to beat: (2) Amboy (22-7).

Pairings: Saturday, Feb. 15 - Game 1: (10) Putnam County (6-23) at (9) Earlville (9-20), 4:30 p.m. Game 2: (11) Gardner-South Wilmington at (5) St. Bede (19-12), 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 - Game 3:(2) Amboy vs. Winner 1, 6 p.m. Game 4: (3) Ottawa Marquette (20-10) vs. Winner 2, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 - Championship: Winners 3-4, 6:30 p.m.

Worthy of note: St. Bede beat Amboy for last year’s regional championship to kick off its march to the IHSA state tournament. To repeat, the Bruins will have to defeat GSW and then get past a Marquette team, which has taken two of three meetings this year, in the semifinals. St. Bede beat Marquette (49-38) in their latest meeting for the Tri-County Conference Tournament title. While the Bruins lost three starters from last year’s state squad, they have put together a solid season under new coach Tom Ptak and have solid postseason experience in sisters and Lili (12.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Quinn (5.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg) McLain, junior Savannah Bray (10.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and senior Ashlyn Ehm (8.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg). ... Amboy has defeated Marquette (49-41) and lost to subsectional top seed Serena (30-25).

Last year’s regional final: St. Bede 50, Amboy 39

BCR pick: Amboy over St. Bede

Next: Winner advances to Hinckley-Big Rock Sectional to face winner of Chicago Morgan Park Regional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Class 2A Princeton Regional

Team to beat: (1) Alleman (22-8).

Pairings: Saturday, Feb. 15 - Game 1: (8) Somonauk-Leland (12-17) at (7) Bureau Valley (12-19), 3 p.m. Game 2: (12) Mendota (3-23) at (6) Sandwich (13-15), 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 - Game 3: (1) Alleman vs. Winner 1, 6 p.m. Game 4: (4) Princeton (19-9) vs. Winner 2, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 - Championship: Winners 3-4, 7 p.m.

Worthy of note: Princeton drew the No. 4 seed and with it an undesirable rematch with Alleman. The Pioneers defeated the Tigresses for last year’s regional championship by 31 points and by 25 points (60-35) in a regular-season matchup at Prouty Gym on Jan. 18. The Tigresses are playing their best ball of the season, winners of eight of their past nine games, including wins over Class 2A stalwarts Sherrard and Seneca, rival Hall and 3A schools Rochelle and L-P. Princeton last hoisted the regional crown in 2007. PHS is 14-3 on its home court heading into its semifinal contest against the winner of the BV-Somonauk quarterfinal. ... The Storm have had some ups and downs for first-year head coach Jon Henegar with a pair of four-game losing streaks and a three-game skid. They have won their past two games and four of past six, however, heading into the postseason, including a school-record 86-point effort against Galva. BV, which has defeated the only team in the regional it has faced, Mendota, gets the home-court advantage for its quarterfinal game vs. Somonauk-Leland, a third-place finisher in the Little Ten. BV junior Kayden Haage, who set a school single-game record with six 3-pointers this season, transfered from Somonauk last year. ... Alleman has won eight of its past 10 games, finishing third in the Western Big Six at 9-4. The Pioneers reached the sectional finals last year, falling to eventual state champ Peoria Notre Dame.

Last year’s regional final: Alleman 58, Princeton 27

BCR pick: Alleman over Princeton

Next: Winner advances to Rock Falls Sectional to face winner of Aurora Central Catholic Regional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Class 2A Erie-Prophetstown Regional

Team to beat: (2) Riverdale (19-9)

Pairings: Saturday, Feb. 15 - Game 1: (10) Morrison (4-25) at (9) E-P (6-18), 1 p.m. Game 2: (11) Rock Falls (3-26) at (5) Oregon (13-15), 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17 - Game 3: (2) Riverdale vs. Winner 1, 6 p.m. Game 4: (3) Hall (16-12) vs. Winner 2, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 - Championship: Winners 3-4, 6:30 p.m.

Worthy of note: Hall claimed the No. 3 seed in the subsectional by virtue of its overtime win over No. 4 Princeton on Jan. 6. The Red Devils have cooled off heading into postseason, dropping six of its past eight games, including a 34-30 loss at Princeton in a game they led by 13 early in the second half. Hall seeks its first regional title since winning four straight from 2016-19. ... Defending regional champ Riverdale is 5-1 against the subsectional field, including a win over Princeton (54-43) and a loss to No. 1 Alleman (48-42). The Rams finished second in the Three Rivers West behind Sherrard. ... Hall and Riverdale are the only teams in the field with winning seasons. ... The regional is being held at Prophetstown.

Last year’s regional final: Riverdale 46, Morrison 28

BCR pick: Riverdale over Hall

Next: Winner advances to Rock Falls Sectional to face winner of Stillman Valley Regional at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Other area regionals

At Forreston (1A): Team to beat - (2) River Ridge-Scales Mound (23-6). Others - (3) Newman (22-9), (6) Eastland (16-15), (7) Polo (16-11), (8) Pearl City (12-18), (12) Milledgeville (4-18), (13) Forreston (3-21)

At Roanoke (1A): Team to beat - (1) Roanoke-Benson (25-5). Others - (3) Mt. Pulaski (18-7), (5) Henry-Senachwine (13-16), (7) Midland (11-18), (11) Lowpoint-Washburn (2-16), (12) Peoria Heights (0-29)

At ROWVA (1A): Team to beat - (2) Wethersfield (24-4). Others - (3) Monmouth United (26-4), (7) Ridgewood (18-12), (9) Annawan (6-19), (11) ROWVA-Williamsfield (6-19), (12) Galva (5-21). Note: Wethersfield is No. 8 ranked in 1A.

At Orion (2A): Team to beat - (2) Sherrard (19-5). Others - (3) Monmouth-Roseville (21-10), (6) Kewanee (18-10), (8) Mercer County (14-16), (10) Rockridge (12-17), (11) Orion (10-20). Note: Sherrard won the Three Rivers West championship.

At Washington (3A): Team to beat - (1) Washington (30-1). Others - (3) Morris (24-5), (5) Bloomington, (6) Metamora, (8) L-P (11-16). Note: Washington is No. 1 ranked in 3A.

At Freeport (3A): Team to beat - (2) Dixon (25-5). Others - (3) Freeport (22-7), (5) Boylan (17-13), (6) Belvidere (16-13), (9) Belvidere North (9-21). Note: Dixon is No. 7 ranked in 3A.

At Kankakee (3A): Team to beat - (2) Ottawa (20-7). Others - (4) Kankakee (17-12), (7) Pontiac (15-15), (9) Streator (2-28).

At Sterling (3A): Team to beat - (1) Sterling (25-5). Others - (4) Plano (25-4), (7) Sycamore (8-21), (8) Rochelle (8-21). Sterling is No. 5 ranked in 3A.