5 storylines to watch in the BCR/NewsTribune area for the boys basketball postseason

With the boys basketball postseason getting underway Saturday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area.

Will home court advantage help area teams?

Four area teams are playing host to regionals with La Salle-Peru holding a Class 3A tournament and Princeton, Bureau Valley and Fieldcrest hosting Class 2A regionals.

None of the four hosts are seeded to win its regional, but the Tigers and Knights are seeded to advance to the championship.

Can playing on their home floor boost any of the four teams to a regional title?

The Cavaliers are 4-5 at home this season and have won their last two home games, the Tigers are 7-3 at home and have won their last four at home, the Storm are 9-1 at home and the Knights are 5-2 at home.

Can Princeton extend its regional streak?

When it comes time for the postseason, Princeton has been a force in recent years.

The Tigers have won three consecutive regional championships and have played in sectional finals the last two seasons.

Princeton is 17-12 overall and the No. 4 seed in its subsectional.

The Tigers started the season 3-8, which included a five-game losing streak when Noah LaPorte was injured, but Princeton is heating up at the right time.

Princeton has won eight games in a row and nine of its last 10, avenging some earlier losses in the process. The Tigers lost twice each to Mendota and Hall but beat the Trojans 62-38 on Feb. 7 and topped the Red Devils 51-29 on Feb. 14.

Princeton opens the regional against either No. 5 Mendota or No. 12 Aurora Central Catholic in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Seneca (25-5) is the No. 1 seed. The Fighting Irish last won a regional in 2018.

Can L-P and Fieldcrest repeat?

La Salle-Peru and Fieldcrest each won regional titles last season and will be looking to repeat this winter with regionals on their home floors.

The Cavaliers, who last won back-to-back regionals in 2015 and 2016, are familiar with every opponent in the regional.

No. 5 L-P (13-17) opens against No. 3 Dixon (22-8) in the semifinals. The Cavs lost 56-40 to the Dukes on Jan. 22 in Dixon. L-P upset Dixon in last year’s Sterling Regional semifinals.

The other side of the regional is No. 2 Streator (23-7) vs. No. 7 Ottawa (9-17). The Cavs have lost twice to the Bulldogs but are 3-0 against the Pirates.

Fieldcrest (22-8), which is looking for its first back-to-back regional plaques since winning three straight from 2018-20, is a No. 3 seed and opens the postseason against No. 6 Clifton Central (16-12). The other semifinal features No. 2 Bishop McNamara (22-7) and No. 8 Herscher (12-17).

The Knights beat the Fighting Irish 72-47 in last year’s regional final at McNamara.

Will Mendota end another drought?

Mendota had a motto this season of “next step,” meaning moving the program forward.

The Trojans took a step forward by winning the Three Rivers Conference East Division championship for their first conference title since 1996. Mendota is 20-9 overall for its first 20-win season since 2013-14.

Mendota will look to add another title and end another drought by winning the Class 2A Princeton Regional. The Trojans last won a regional plaque in 2013.

Mendota, which has won eight of its last 10 games, is a No. 5 seed and opens the regional with a quarterfinal game against No. 12 Aurora Central Catholic (4-27).

If the Trojans win, they’d face host Princeton. Mendota has beaten the Tigers twice but lost the third matchup 62-38 on Feb. 7.

Can a lower seeded team upset its way to a title?

Most basketball fans love a Cinderella story where an underdog teams makes a postseason run.

In 2023, St. Bede advanced to a regional final as a No. 10 seed, upsetting No. 1 Marquette along the way.

Can the Bruins or another area team make an underdog run this season?

St. Bede (13-17) is a No. 7 seed and will play in the Class 1A Amboy Regional, opening with No. 12 Ashton-Franklin Center (7-23) before facing No. 14 LaMoille (7-24) or No. 3 Forreston (19-11). No. 2 Annawan (20-6) also is in the field.

The Bruins do have some solid wins on their resume, including a pair against 20-win Bureau Valley.

The Storm (20-11) are hosting a regional and enter as a No. 6 seed with a 20-9 overall record and a perfect mark in the Lincoln Trail Conference. BV plays No. 11 Morrison (10-19) in a quarterfinal with the winner facing No. 3 Riverdale (20-9). No. 2 Rock Falls (21-7) is on the other side.

Hall (11-16) is a No. 9 seed in the Princeton Regional. The Red Devils have lost eight in a row but have beaten good good teams this season with two wins over Princeton and a win over La Salle-Peru.

Hall plays at No. 7 Sandwich (19-11) with the winner advancing to play No. 1 Seneca (25-5), which beat the Red Devils 69-45 in the first game of the season.