Boys Basketball

Meet the 2025 Northwest Herald All-Area boys basketball team.

After leading McHenry to its first Fox Valley Conference championship and first conference title since 1976, Corky Card has been named the 2025 Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

Crystal Lake South senior point guard AJ Demirov is the Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the second season in a row. He averaged 18.5 points and 4.6 assists per game in leading the Gators to a Class 3A sectional final.

Dixon's Darius Harrington, Rock Falls' Kuitim Heald and Eastland's Adam Awender, Parker Krogman and Peyton Spears were named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state team in their respective classes.

Here is the Suburban Life All-Area boys basketball team.

Hinsdale Central senior and South Dakota State commit Vincas Buzelis, who led the Red Devils to a 29-4 record that included a 25-game winning streak and a share of the West Suburban Silver title, is the Suburban Life Player of the Year.

Here is the 2024-2025 Record Newspapers all-area boys basketball team.

Yorkville Christian junior guard Jayden Riley, who led the Mustangs to 21 wins, the championship game of the Plano Christmas Class for the first time, and a regional final, and averaged 23 points, 8.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds, is the Record Newspapers Player of the Year.

The IHSA announced three significant changes to its classification policy Tuesday. Starting next school year, the IHSA will go back to using fixed classification cutoffs, change its multiplier waiver process and adjust its “Success Adjustment Policy.”

Bishop McNamara had a historic basketball season, as both the boys and girls teams both made at least the round of 16 in the same year for the first time ever.

Benet built a double-digit lead and then held off Warren in the closing seconds 55-54 in a thriller of a Class 4A final to win the school's first boys basketball state championship on Saturday in Champaign.

Benet boys basketball faced Evanston in a Class 4A state semifinal on Friday, March 14, 2025 at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

The Bradley-Bourbonnais Special Olympics Unified basketball team won its second state championship in the past three years Saturday.

Eastland still had the best state finish in program history despite falling to Chicago Hope Academy and coach Ronnie Fields in Saturday's Class 1A state championship. 'It’s been an amazing journey with these guys.'

The Eastland basketball team's season came to an end Saturday as they lost to Chicago Hope Academy in the Class 1A state championship game at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Highlighted by Lincoln Williams' first-team selection in Class 3A, Nick Allen's second-team selection in Class 4A and Jacob Reardon's third-team selection in Class 2A, eight local players earned IBCA All-State recognition.

Eastland faces Chicago Hope Academy at 1 p.m. today at State Farm Center in Champaign for the Class 1A state championship. Here is a preview of the big matchup.

Some of Benet's key team characteristics were missing during the first three quarters of its Class 4A State Tournament semifinal against Evanston, but its defensive effort never wavered in a 56-47 win on Friday.

Using its efficient offense and smothering defense, Eastland beat Peoria Christian 55-35 to advance to the state championship for the first time. The Cougars will face Chicago Hope Academy at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Champaign.

The Little 10 Conference announced its boys basketball all-conference picks earlier this week, as selected by coaches.

Eastland defeats Peoria Christian in the Class 1A state boys basketball semifinal Thursday, March 13, 2025, to advance to the finals on Saturday. The Cougars will face Chicago Hope for the title.

The Interstate 8 announced its all-conference picks for basketball, dance, cheerleading, bowling and wrestling.

When Bishop McNamara and Bismarck-Henning met in the boys basketball sectional championship round last week, it reunited the two head coaches, who were former Olivet Nazarene University teammates.

Mac Doyle's mom coached St. Ignatius to second place in the state last weekend. His cousin Kathleen, one of close to 50 cousins, led Benet to two state titles. Now Mac, a senior guard and defensive stalwart, hopes to bring a first state title to the Benet boys program.

Bradley-Bourbonnais' Nick Allen, Grant Park's Blake Brown and Manteno's Ray Lee all set the career scoring records at their schools this season.

Benent took an early lead and held on late to beat Quincy 58-50 in the Class 4A Illinois State University Supersectional on Monday, punching its fourth trip to state under coach Gene Heidkamp.

Eastland has shown it does not mind how low the score may be or what pace the game is played at. Winning is all that matters. Defense looks to be a key factor again in Thursday's Class 1A state semifinal matchup with Peoria Christian.

The Trinity boys basketball team placed third in Division 5A at the NCSAA National Tournament over the weekend, finishing the season at 23-11.

Four Bolingbrook players were named to the Southwest Prairie All-Conference Team, while a host of other locals made all-conference teams as well.

Rock Falls' senior-led run to the Elite Eight came to an end with a 58-44 loss to Chicago Christ the King in Monday's Class 2A Sterling Supersectional. The crowd was loud until the end at Musgrove Fieldhouse.

Junior Josh Abushanab scored a team-high 16 points, his two free throws sending Glenbard West into the fourth quarter ahead by 2, but Evanston held the Hilltoppers to one basket over the first seven minutes to win 47-43 in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates Supersectional.

Kaneland faced DePaul College Prep in a Class 3A boys basketball supersectional on Monday, March 10, 2025 at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates.

Eastland never trailed Aurora Christian during Monday’s Class 1A DeKalb Supersectional at the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois University.

Kaneland's record-breaking season came to an end in the Class 3A Hoffman Estates Supersectional on Monday after DePaul Prep defeated the Knights 68-28, handing them their first loss since Nov. 26.

The Illinois Central Eight, Tri-County and Kishwaukee River conferences have released their All-Conference boys basketball teams for 2024-25 season.

The sold out gym at Pecatonica was loud from start to finish in the 36-31 win by Eastland

The All-Fox Valley Conference boys basketball team was announced Monday, and co-champs Crystal Lake South and McHenry each placed three players on the team.

Bradley-Bourbonnais boys basketball coach Ryan Kemp announced his resignation over the weekend after three years and 58 wins.

The La Salle-Peru boys basketball team hopes to build off back-to-back regional titles and win its first sectional game since 1997.

Rock Falls faces off against Christ the King High School Monday, March 10, 2025, in the Class 2A boys basketball Supersectional at Sterling High School. The postseason run came to an end for the Rockets who lost 58-44.

Eastland meets Aurora Christian Monday, March 10, 2025, in the Class 1A basketball Supersectional held at the NIU Convocation Center. Eastland took the win and will play for the state title this weekend in Champaign.

Marshall has been officiating high school basketball games since 1974, and the officials locker room at Coal City High School now bares his name.

Bishop McNamara opened the game with an 18-2 lead, but Bismarck-Henning never gave up, coming back in the fourth quarter to win the Class 2A Peotone Sectional and put an end to the winningest season in McNamara history.

Lemont’s playoff run came to an end Friday in the Class 3A Brother Rice Sectional championship game with a 53-41 loss to the host Crusaders on Friday.

St. Patrick senior Anthony Favia put Fenwick in an early hole, scoring 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first quarter, and the Friars couldn't complete the comeback in a 54-44 defeat on Friday in the Class 3A Little Village Sectional championship.

Freddy Hassan had 21 points and 20 rebounds, and Kaneland's boys basketball team beat Crystal Lake South 49-37 in the Class 3A Rochelle Sectional final Friday night.

A game after not playing at all, sophomore Edvardas Stasys came off the bench to help anchor Benet's sterling defensive effort as the Redwings beat Downers Grove North 44-32 in Friday's sectional final.

After only managing one point in the second quarter, Glenbard West, led by senior Teyion Oriental, flipped the script in the second half to take a 50-33 victory over Geneva for the Hilltoppers' first sectional title since their state title run in 2022.

Eastland slowed the game down against No. 1 Pecatonica and held on for a big 36-31 road win to earn its first sectional title since 2013. 'Our game plan was necessary to win.'

Aurora Christian twice had to come back from double digits against Hinckley-Big Rock on Friday in the Class 1A Somonauk Sectional final, holding on for a 57-54 victory despite 23 points and 19 rebounds from Martin Ledbetter.