Boys Basketball
The Rant likes the easy livin’ in summertime, but not everybody has it so good.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central used a balanced scoring attack to defeat Barrington, 66-41, and capture third place at the 20th Annual Crystal Lake South Gary Collins Shootout on Sunday.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central used a high-percentage offense to defeat Elgin, 51-45, and advance to the semifinals of the 20th annual Crystal Lake South Gary Collins Shootout on Saturday.
CRYSTAL LAKE – For Crystal Lake South boys basketball coach Dan DeBruycker, the question of what’s more difficult, hosting a tournament or coaching, is an easy one – coaching.
ALGONQUIN – Many basketball players think about offense first and learn how to be better defenders along the way.
CRYSTAL LAKE – When Chase Cane was promoted to Crystal Lake Central’s varsity boys basketball team midway through last season, the pace of the game at first caught the then-sophomore off guard.
Mike Dixon grew to appreciate those times when he was hanging out with friends and one of the group would excuse himself.
Steve Ryan pounced on the opportunity to coach boys basketball at Woodstock North in the same way he hopes his players will get after loose balls next season.
Sean McGruder had all the confidence in his ability to coach high school basketball, even with limited experience at that level.
Joe Conroy used to spend summers watching many of the same girls basketball tournaments as Kathi Bennett.
HEBRON – Most of the participants have been away from basketball for almost six weeks, although they didn’t shoot like it.
Before Chad Ljunggren could go about the business of finding a college for athletics, he had to decide which sport he would be playing.
The votes are in; the fans have been heard.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Coaches like to preach that their team is not out of a game until that last out is recorded. Prairie Ridge’s baseball team proved that to be the case Friday in its 5-4, non-conference win against Fremd.
Luke Ravlin hopes his time away from coaching basketball will be short.
There might not be a better snapshot of what Johnsburg senior guard Mike Dixon meant to his team than what transpired Feb. 23.
Player of the Year: Mike Dixon, Johnsburg, sr.
Curtis Price’s excitement level during a basketball game becomes evident right after tip-off.
Alongside the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the Northwest Herald put together its own brackets of girls and boys basketball teams since 2000 on which fans can vote.
PEORIA – Hillcrest stunned top-ranked Peoria Richwoods, 58-55, on Saturday to win the IHSA Class 3A boys basketball title, its first state championship.
A few local boys basketball teams are not surprised that Marian Central reserve forward Dave Luczak will be competing in the IHSA Class 3A Three-Point Shootout at 5 p.m. today at Carver Arena in Peoria.
VERNON HILLS – The Johnsburg boys basketball team again found its offensive rhythm in the third quarter, erasing a 10-point deficit to St. Viator and grabbing some momentum.
The Rant has got to give credit to The Burg for another very good boys basketball season, but a sectional title wasn’t in the cards this year.
VERNON HILLS – Johnsburg boys basketball team knows exactly what it must bring to the IHSA Class 3A Vernon Hills Sectional championship game against St. Viator.
HAMPSHIRE – The intensity, the rapid-fire scoring and the general quick play stunned Marian Central’s boys basketball team Tuesday.
VERNON HILLS – The good part for Chicago Gordon Tech was it had hacked Johnsburg’s once-comfortable lead to six points with 2:17 remaining.
After a big night of playoff hoops, The Burg’s boys basketball team is the only team left playin’ for a state title.
VERNON HILLS – The good part for Gordon Tech was it had hacked Johnsburg’s once-comfortable lead to six points with 2:17 remaining.
Marian Central boys basketball coach Curtis Price sees no reason his team can’t hang around for a while in the IHSA Class 3A postseason.
Johnsburg might have the most experienced boys basketball team in the state.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Host Crystal Lake South stayed close throughout its IHSA Class 4A Regional title game, but top-seeded Jefferson pulled away late for a 57-44 boys basketball victory Friday.
WOODSTOCK – The year already was ingrained in the heads of Marian Central’s players, but Hurricanes coach Curtis Price drove the point home one more time before they left school.
JOHNSBURG – When Johnsburg needed to keep its composure in a tight fourth quarter against Lakes in the IHSA Class 3A Johnsburg Regional final Friday, not a single player hid from the late-game pressure.
After Friday night’s hoops action we are down to two local teams still alive in the post season.
MAPLE PARK – Hampshire tried everything it could to keep Kaneland center Dave Dudzinski from getting the ball in his hands with 11.3 seconds remaining.
JOHNSBURG – Teams facing Johnsburg must pick their poison when defending the Skyhawks’ offense.
WOODSTOCK – In the previous two games between Prairie Ridge’s and Crystal Lake Central’s boys basketball teams this season, Central emerged with the victory.
WOODSTOCK – Little went wrong for Marian Central’s boys basketball team Tuesday night.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Huntley’s players felt like the butt of some cruel joke as guard Tyler Brunschon drained two three-pointers in the final 12 seconds.
BARRINGTON – Dundee-Crown’s boys basketball team was held to single-digit scoring in the second and third quarters, and Barrington rolled to a 52-39 victory Tuesday in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 4A Barrington Regional.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South and McHenry delivered one of the more dramatic and unconventional finishes of the boys basketball season.
CRYSTAL LAKE– With the season on the line and his team trailing by two points in overtime, Huntley senior Mason Kaniewski hit the game-winning three-pointer with 23 seconds left, giving the Red Raiders a thrilling 51-50 win against Jacobs on Monday.
There were not many people out there who thought that Johnsburg’s girls basketball team would be playing for a state title more than The Rant.
Athlete of the Week
ALGONQUIN – The gym was electric Friday night as the Jacobs boys basketball team picked up its fifth win in a row, a 46-42 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division victory against Huntley.
WOODSTOCK – The Prairie Ridge boys basketball team coasted to a 59-33 postseason tuneup win against Woodstock North on Friday, in Fox Valley Conference Fox Division action.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South’s performance left little room for criticism.
The Burg’s girls basketball team won its third straight sectional title on Thursday in a route of Regina Dominican, and if they beat Oswego on Monda,y they punch their ticket to the state tournament.
POPLAR GROVE – Harvard’s boys basketball team thought it would hang with Genoa-Kingston and make things as difficult as possible at the end, just as it had in most games since January.
Things are heatin’ up for The Burg and the Shire’s girls basketball teams. Each of them are one win away from sectional titles, and a long awaited meetin’ between the two.
