5 storylines to watch for boys basketball postseason across the Herald-News area

While the girls basketball playoffs roll on, the boys postseason is about to get started. There are no shortage of quality teams entering regional tournaments from the Herald-News coverage area and much to be interested in. With that in mind, here are five storylines to keep an eye on during the playoffs.

1) Will Bolingbrook break through?

Year in and year out, Bolingbrook produces one of the top boys basketball teams in the state. This year was no exception as the Raiders enter the Class 4A playoffs at 27-4 overall with a 15-0 record in the Southwest Prairie Conference, earning the top seed in the Class 4A Benet Sectional.

The main question on everyone’s mind, however, is will this be the year the Raiders break through to claim their first state title in program history?

They’ve come so close before, advancing to the state tournament on three occasions between 2014 and 2022. They currently have a D-1 committed senior (JT Pettigrew), one of the best players in the state for his class (freshman Brady Pettigrew) and one of the top 30 players in the country (sophomore Davion Thompson). Don’t forget coach Rob Brost and a multitude of other future college players.

But the Raiders have never made the state championship game in boys basketball. With perhaps the best roster in the area, could this be the year the Raiders get over the hump and make history? That will surely be the No. 1 thing to keep an eye on this postseason.

2) Which Plainfield South will show up?

The Herald-News wrote the other day about how Plainfield North has been as up and down this season as any team.

The same goes for their rivals to the south.

Plainfield South finished the regular season fourth in the Southwest Prairie Conference after going 18-9. overall and 10-6 in SPC play. That was only good enough to earn them the 11th seed in the Benet Sectional, while the Tigers got the eighth seed. They’ll have to face off against sixth seeded Oswego East, which finished third in the conference at 11-4.

Don’t write the Cougars off just yet, however, they twice beat Romeoville and hung with the likes of Joliet West and Oswego East this season. They also were dominated by Plainfield North and lost to Plainfield East, so it will all come down to which version of the Cougars show up. As with the Tigers, they’ve proven themselves capable of anything.

3) Look out for Lemont

Make no mistake, Lemont was a good team last year, finishing 19-12 with a 10-3 mark in the South Suburban Conference. This season, it’s been a new level of success.

Boosted by the transfer of Gabriel Sularski [the top recruited junior in the state], Lemont finished the regular season 22-7 with an undefeated conference title.

It hasn’t just been Sularski, either. In the regular season finale against Tinley Park, an 81-52 victory, Lemont was led by Alanas Castillo (24 points) and Matas Gaidukevicius (20 points).

The No. 2 seed in the 3A Brother Rice Sectional, Lemont appears to have a clear path to the sectional finals. Whether or not they can knock off the top seeded Crusaders or not is something to keep an eye on.

4) Cinderella Hilltoppers?

On paper, seeing Joliet Catholic earn the top seed in the Class 2A Peotone Sectional might seem like a head scratcher. They finished just 13-14 with a 2-6 mark in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.

Look a bit closer, however. JCA regularly went up against 3A and 4A competition and now enters the 2A playoffs battled tested. While other local 2A teams like Coal City and Wilmington could make it further than the Hilltoppers in the end, keep an eye out for JCA come sectional finals time.

5) Trojan horse?

The area’s best bet in 1A likely will be Dwight, the No. 8 seed in the Somonauk Sectional. Should the Trojans knock off seventh seeded Marquette, their reward will be a date with second seeded Hinckley-Big Rock. The odds will be against the Trojans, but in the playoffs, don’t count anyone out.