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Going into the season just about everyone could have told you who would finish atop the Southwest Prairie Conference standings. With about two weeks left in the regular season, that projection is looking safe as Bolingbrook is 23-3 overall and 11-0 in conference play.
The regular season conference title isn’t 100% locked up yet for the Raiders, especially because they have to play second place Oswego East again Friday. The Wolves are 10-2 in SPC play and won’t be an easy out, but the odds still favor Bolingbrook.
It’s no lock the Wolves finish second in the conference, either. To give an idea of how competitive the conference has been, the Wolves have only lost to Bolingbrook and third-place Joliet West. But West is 9-3, just one game behind the Wolves for second. The Tigers will play fourth-place Plainfield South on Tuesday and depending how it goes, they could finish the evening sitting in second or fourth.
Speaking of the Cougars, they could finish in third and atop the Western side of the conference with a win over West. Meanwhile, Plainfield North is 7-5, Minooka is 6-6 and Romeoville is 5-5. Aside from 1-11 Joliet Central and 0-12 Plainfield Central, every team in the SPC has shown competitiveness throughout the year. The difference between ninth and sixth place is only two games.
Even Plainfield Central just took Plainfield North to the brink last week. It should make for a fascinating postseason when it’s all said and done.
A (senior) night to remember
Lincoln-Way East’s home victory over Lincoln-Way West on Friday was a notable battle in many regards. First and foremost, it was a SouthWest Suburban Conference matchup, but it also was senior night for the Griffins.
And what a senior night it was for one Griffin in particular.
Brenden Sanders went off against the Warriors, dropping 24 points in a 67-55 win. That included a 10-2 run he made by himself at the end of the second and start of the third quarter to give Lincoln-Way East a lead it never would relinquish.
Additionally, senior Will Buchanan put up nine points, Luke Vetter added a pair of key free throws and Landon Johnson scored an important fourth-quarter basket to help the Griffins build their lead.
All six seniors have played sizable roles for Lincoln-Way East this year. Head coach Rich Kolimas couldn’t have been prouder of them on the final senior night of his tenure before his retirement this summer.
“These seniors are special,” Kolimas said. “They’re just great kids. They’re program kids. They stayed with it and worked hard, so it’s nice to see it pay off for them.”
Lockport locked in
The SWSC isn’t too different from the SPC in that there’s little question which team is at the top. There’s even less question in the SWSC as Homewood-Flossmoor is 11-0 as expected. Second place is a three-way tie at 8-4.
Those 8-4 teams? That would be Bradley-Bourbonnais, the Griffins and Lockport. The Porters are sitting at 15-9 overall. After beginning the year 7-7, the Porters have won eight of their past 10, which began with a six-game win streak. A loss to the Vikings and a tight defeat to the Griffins are their only blemishes in that time.
Speaking of the Griffins, they’re feeling pretty good about being 15-8 after losing their top three players to transfer over the summer.
“I think we’re putting it together,” Kolimas said. “I don’t think anyone looked at us like we were going to have this kind of a season, and we’re starting to put things together.”
Don’t count out Lincoln-Way Central, by the way. The Knights are just behind those three teams in second place at 7-5 and are a respectable 18-8 overall. LWC has won nine of its past 12 and has to be feeling confident about where it’s at.
Don’t sleep on Lincoln-Way West, either. While LWW is just 5-7 in conference play, the Warriors have massive talent in Wyatt Carlson and Max Gabriel.
Look out for Lemont
Finally, don’t forget about Lemont. Gabriel Sularski, a four-star prospect for 2026, has helped Lemont to a tremendous season thus far. Lemont is 9-0 in South Suburban Conference play and 18-7 overall.
Lemont currently has a four-game win streak, but is only up two games on fifth-place Oak Forrest in a competitive SSC. The end of the regular season should be fun as Sularski and company get ready for the playoffs.