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Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost doesn’t have any problem admitting that his team has a herculean challenge ahead of it at the Class 4A State Tournament with semifinal opponent Glenbard West.
Glenbard West has been the consensus No. 1 team in the state and has been nationally ranked for most of the season. It’s no secret to Brost how good their opponent will be when they take the court at about 4 p.m. Friday at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
“I’d rather be playing the Lakers than Glenbard West,” Brost said. “We know what we’re up against, and we know how good they are. But we’re also going to fight and claw and do the best we can.”
Barrington will play Whitney Young in the first Class 4A State semifinal game. The winners of the two semifinal games will play in the 4A state championship at 7 p.m. The two teams that lose in the semifinal round will have a quick turnaround and return to the court at about 8:30 p.m. to play for third place.
Here’s a statistical look at the four teams in the Class 4A State Tournament:
Bolingbrook
Record: 30-6
Nickname: Raiders
Conference: Southwest Suburban
Head coach: Rob Brost
Scoring leaders: Mekhi Cooper (12.1 ppg), Michael Osei-Bonsu (11.8 ppg), Jaydin Dunlap (9.2 ppg)
Rebounding leaders: Michael Osei-Bonsu (9.4 rpg), Donaven Younger (5.6 rpg)
Assists leaders: Mekhi Cooper (3.0 apg), Josh Aniceto (2.6 apg)
Path to State Farm Center: Defeated East Aurora, 69-28, for Plainfield Central Regional title; defeated Oswego East, 52-51, for Oswego Sectional title; defeated Quincy, 49-42, for Illinois State Supersectional title.
State Finals history: 3rd in 2015 (4A); 3rd in 2017 (4A)
Worth noting: After the Raiders had a rough stretch with only two wins in eight games late in December and early January, Bolingbrook has rattled off 16 straight wins. During that winning streak, an extremely balanced Bolingbrook team has had eight different players lead them in scoring. Michael Osei-Bonsu has averaged a double-double in the postseason, despite being limited to only three points in Bolingbrook’s sectional semifinal win over Andrew.
Barrington
Record: 28-4
Nickname: Broncos
Conference: Mid-Suburban League
Head coach: Bryan Tucker (477-255, 29 years; 239-129, 13 years at Barrington)
Scoring leaders: Will Gruszinski (19.1 ppg), Daniel Hong (12.3 ppg), Nate Boldt (7.5 ppg)
Rebounding leaders: Nate Boldt (5.1 rpg), Will Gruzinski (5.0 rpg)
Assists leaders: Daniel Hong (3.0 apg), Nick Bordenet (1.8 apg)
Path to State Farm Center: Defeated Buffalo Grove, 61-34, for Buffalo Grove Regional title; defeated Libertyville, 56-47 (OT), for Barrington Sectional title; defeated Glenbrook South, 52-50, for Forest View Supersectional title
State Finals history: DNP in 1954 (one class); DNP in 1977 (AA)
Worth noting: Barrington hasn’t taken a loss since a Jan. 11 defeat against Hoffman Estates and it currently is riding a 15-game winning streak. Barrington and Bolingbrook both completed the rare feat of having both its boys and girls teams reach the state finals. The girls finished second, losing to Stevenson in the championship game. Barrington beat the state’s consensus No. 2 team, Glenbrook South, in a supersectional, and when asked how he reacts to people’s surprise in his team’s victory Broncos coach Bryan Tucker said, “we’d hope that people who have played us weren’t that surprised.”
Glenbard West
Record: 35-1
Nickname: Hilltoppers
Conference: West Suburban
Head coach: Jason Opoka (67-16, three years)
Scoring leaders: Braden Huff (16.2 ppg), Bobby Durkin (12.6 ppg), Caden Pierce (12.0 ppg)
Rebounding leaders: Braden Huff (5.9 rpg), Caden Pierce (4.9 rpg), Ryan Renfro (4.9 rpg)
Assists leaders: Caden Pierce (5.3 apg), Bobby Durkin (3.5 apg)
Path to Redbird: Defeated York, 64-26, for the Glenbard West Regional title; defeated Wheaton Warrenville South, 68-41, for the Bartlett Sectional title; defeated Elgin Larkin, 60-34, for the Hersey Supersectional title.
State Finals history: DNP in 1938 (one class)
Worth noting: Glenbard West currently is ranked 18th nationally in the ESPN.com rankings, one spot behind Sierra Canyon (Calif.), the only team to defeat them this season. In 27 of its 35 games, Glenbard West has won by 20 or more points, including four of the five postseason matchups. The Hilltoppers have a ridiculous amount of height on their roster, eight players stand 6-foot-4 or taller anchored by 6-10 forward Braden Huff who is headed to Gonzaga. Caden Pierce is Princeton bound and has a diverse game that finds him scoring often, rebounding or dishing off to any number of capable 3-point shooters, as Glenbard West has five players that have hit 20 or more 3-pointers, including Pierce.
Whitney Young
Record: 25-9
Nickname: Dolphins
Conference: Chicago Public League Red West/North
Head coach: Tyrone Slaughter 373-130 (17 seasons)
Scoring leaders: Xavier Amos (11.4 ppg), A.J. Casey (10.7 ppg), Dalen Davis (10.5 ppg)
Rebounding leaders: A.J. Casey (8.0 rpg), Xavier Amos (6.3 rpg)
Assists leaders: Dalen Davis (6.0 apg), Xavier Amos (3.0 apg), A.J. Casey (3.0 apg)
Path to Redbird: Defeated Downers Grove North, 59-40, for Whitney Young Academy Regional title; defeated Lyons, 67-54, for Proviso West Sectional title; defeated Kenwood, 75-62, for UIC Supersectional title
State Finals history: DNP in 1997 (AA); 1st in 1998 (AA); 1st in 2009 (4A); 2nd in 2010 (4A); 1st in 2014 (4A); 1st in 2017 (4A); 2nd in 2018 (4A).
Worth noting: A large portion of Whitney Young’s nine losses were against out of state opponents, the Dolphins only in-state losses came against Glenbard West (also in the state final field) and Kenwood, a loss it avenged in Monday night’s supersectional. A.J. Casey and Xavier Amos were both named Associated Press All-Staters, with Casey earning a first-team nod and Amos being selected to the second team. The wildcard for Young might be Daniel Johnson, a player only recently rounding back into form after sitting out most of the early portion of the season because of injury.