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Illinois high school basketball has entered its most exciting month of the season. Girls basketball playoffs have begun, with the boys beginning this week.
Here are postseason storylines to watch for Kendall County-area boys basketball teams.
Can Yorkville Christian make a run?
Yorkville Christian won regional titles in three consecutive postseasons from 2019-2022, with a sectional title in 2019 and the Class 1A state championship in 2022. Since then, though, the Mustangs have not made it past regional semifinals the last two years.
Is this the year they make another run?
Yorkville Christian (20-10), a No. 1 seed in the Class 1A Somonauk Sectional, certainly has the firepower. Junior Jayden Riley is one of the most dynamic guards around. Four players, including Riley, sophomore Tray Alford, senior Noah Aguado and senior Zach Marini, average in double figures. If they shoot like they did in a December loss to Class 3A contender Kaneland, look out.
Yorkville Christian could get Indian Creek on its home court, or Aurora Christian in a regional final. Potential sectional opponents Rochelle Zell from Deerfield and Ida Crown from Skokie are a little hard to gauge.
Should the Mustangs get through, a potential supersectional at NIU in DeKalb against Class 1A No. 1-ranked Pecatonica could await.
Can Sandwich party again like it’s 1993?
Sandwich’s boys basketball season has become quite a story.
The Indians, under first-year head coach and Sandwich alum Matt Chalfin, started 1-7, dropping its first two Kishwaukee River Conference games while injuries ravaged the roster.
Since then, though, Sandwich won its final 12 KRC games to win its first conference championship in 32 years. A team led by talented post Dom Rome and defensive dynamo Simeion Harris finished the regular season 19-11.
Now, can Sandwich win its first regional title since 1993, the year of that last conference champion?
Sandwich, a No. 7 seed in the Class 2A Marengo Sectional, open regional play on Monday at home against No. 9 Hall. Win that, and the Indians would face Princeton on its home floor in the regional semifinal, with No. 1 seed Seneca probably next.
A daunting task to a regional title, sure, but Sandwich should be brimming with confidence based off its last two months.
Newark’s familiar path
Newark (17-13) will need no introductions to its likely regional opponents.
The Norsemen, a No. 3 sectional seed at Somonauk, opens with No. 14 Gardner-South Wilmington, a team Newark twice beat handily in December. A regional semifinal at Ottawa Marquette would likely pit Newark against Serena (16-15), a team Newark beat 67-64 and 62-44 in Little Ten Conference play.
The regional final would likely be against No. 2 seed Hinckley-Big Rock (23-8), a team Newark split two games with during the regular season. Noteworthy, in the teams' second meeting, a 67-64 Newark win Jan. 28, H-BR star Martin Ledbetter did not play and Newark standout Dylan Long missed the second half.
That potential matchup could feature two dynamic scorers. Ledbetter this week surpassed 2,000 career points. Long scored 40 points in a game Tuesday against LaMoille to eclipse 1,000.
Newark is chasing its first regional title since 2020.
Plano, likewise, could draw a familiar opponent next week. Should the Reapers beat IMSA in its regional opener they would face former conference rival Kaneland, who beat Plano 75-37 in December.
Can a Class 4A team reach a regional final?
Oswego East has reached at least a regional final in all but one postseason since 2018, with two sectional final appearances and a 2023 sectional title during that run.
But the Wolves' path to a regional final is a difficult one, as is that of Kendall County’s other 4A schools Oswego and Yorkville.
Oswego East (20-9) opens regional play on Wednesday against Plainfield South. The Wolves beat the Cougars in December, and will be on their home court. But they’ll likely be without standout junior Mason Lockett, still nursing a foot injury. And Plainfield South (18-9) is far from a pushover.
Should Oswego East win that, it would likely host Benet (25-5) in a rematch of last year’s regional final.
Meanwhile, for Yorkville (13-16)) to reach a regional final it will need to beat Downers Grove North (23-8) on its home floor in Wednesday’s regional semifinal. Oswego (11-19) opens regional play Monday against Plainfield Central (2-27), but should the Panthers win that they have the daunting task of state-ranked Waubonsie Valley (29-1) in a regional semifinal – on Waubonsie’s home floor.