Local teams ready for sectionals

Chrissy Heine leads Hampshire into a sectional semifinal against Freeport. Heine leads the Whip-Purs with 13.7 points a game. (Northwest Herald file photo)

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

Four local girls basketball teams won regional crowns and will advance to sectional semifinals today and Tuesday in Class 3A and 4A action.

Here is a breakdown of what each team should expect to see in the next round of the IHSA girls basketball playoffs.

Class 3A DeKalb Sectional semifinals Today: Prairie Ridge vs. Oswego, 6 p.m.; Hampshire vs. Freeport, 8:10 p.m.

The Wolves picked up their first regional title in 10 years, beating Crystal Lake Central, 30-28, on Friday to advance and face Oswego in a sectional semifinal today.

Oswego enters the sectional with a 26-2 overall record and won the 3A Yorkville Regional title last week in large because of its pressure defense. The Panthers slapped a full-court press on Rosary from the game’s outset and rolled to a 57-34 win.

Prairie Ridge center Taylor Smerecky (5.8 points a game) thinks the Wolves’ momentum from their regional win will make today’s contest against the Panthers close.

“We’re all really excited now,” Smerecky said after Friday’s regional title win. “We worked really hard for this and we can’t wait for [today].”

Junior guard Haley Ljunggren leads the Wolves (17-11) with 10 points a game; sophomore guard Emily Bruksch averages eight.

Hampshire, too, feels prepared to face Freeport in the second semifinal today.

The two teams squared off in a sectional semifinal last year and Freeport won, eventually finishing second in the 3A state finals.

The Pretzels are a very different team this year, though, having lost four seniors that made last year’s team go.

Hampshire has returned its core group from last season and has the experience the Whip-Purs didn’t necessarily have last year, making coach Sue Ellett optimistic about her team’s chances.

Hampshire (28-1) also is fresh off a big win against DeKalb to claim the 3A Rochelle Regional title. The Whips beat the Barbs during the DeKalb Thanksgiving Tournament last fall, but only by three points.

The Whips won 57-29 for the regional title Thursday.

“[Freeport] has some nice size and return their point guard [senior Caitlin Greene] who has played in two state championship games, so we’ll have to neutralize her,” Ellett said. “They play good fundamental basketball, but I think there are a few things we can counter with as well.”

The Whips are quick as well as stacked inside and out. Senior Chrissy Heine leads the scoring down low with 13.7 points a game while junior Alex Dumoulin patrols the post and averages a double-double.

Cassie Dumoulin gives the Whips an inside-outside dimension with 9.7 points a game while Karla Vietinghoff and Jessie VanDorin knock down three-pointers. Junior Kelsey Anderson is the Whips’ floor general.

Class 3A St. Viator Sectional semifinal

Johnsburg vs. St. Viator, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

The Skyhawks (25-9) are charging into their sectional semifinal, playing their best basketball since the Dundee-Crown Christmas Tournament and, arguably, of the entire season.

Experience might weigh heavily in this game. Johnsburg has been in four consecutive sectional finals and two consecutive supersectionals. St. Viator, meanwhile, has several seniors in its lineup.

The two have several common opponents this year, including Prospect, New Trier, Resurrection, Jacobs, Fenwick, Marian Catholic, and Grayslake Central.

Johnsburg is 5-4 against those opponents while St. Viator is 2-5. All nine of the Skyhawks’ losses have come to 4A teams.

“They play a strong schedule and they’re really balanced,” Johnsburg coach Mike Toussaint said. “They don’t have any superstars, it’s a lot of very good players and that will make things challenging.”

The area’s leading scorer, junior guard Melissa Dixon, scores 19.1 points a game for the Skyhawks. Senior guard/forward Danielle Slivka averages 14.5 while senior point guard Megan Lopez and senior forward Krista Volden average six.

Regina Dominican and Chicago Gordan Tech play at 7:30 p.m. today in the other sectional semifinal.

Class 4A Huntley Sectional semifinal

Cary-Grove vs. Geneva, 6 p.m. today

The Trojans (26-3) cruise into the sectional semifinal against unbeaten Geneva, which eked out a two-point win last week against St. Charles North in the 4A St. Charles North regional title game – a team the Trojans beat by six, 64-58 on Feb. 12.

Cary-Grove won its own regional last week with an overtime victory against Streamwood.

The Vikings finished fourth in the 4A state finals last season and have a one-two punch down low between senior Lauren Wicinski and Kelsey Augustine, who each average double-digit points and rebounds.

Sophomore Ashley Santos has played for a Puerto Rican Junior National travel team in the offseason.

“We need to control the boards,” C-G coach Rod Saffert said. “It helped that we played Hersey, because they were a big rebounding team, too.

“Our theory is play defensively and keep them off their pace. Geneva has to be the most disciplined and polished team we’ve seen all season. We have to play our best basketball.”

Junior forward Claire Jakubicek leads the Trojans with 16 points a game while her freshman sister Olivia, also a forward, adds 8.5. Senior guard Liz Bart patrols the perimeter and adds eight points a game.

Rockford Boylan and Hononegah play in the other semifinal at 8:10 p.m. today.