Tony Balanganayi dominates for Palatine and a look at Oswego's upside

Palatine’s Tony Balanganayi is a 6-5, 275-pound football star who is a three-star prospect headed to the Big Ten.

He’s also making a strong push to be an all-area basketball player.

While many top high school football recruits graduate early and head to college campuses, enrolling in January, Balanganayi is playing out his senior year. And he’s doing so in dominating fashion, leading Palatine to a 18-3 record while putting up eye-popping numbers.

The Illinois football recruit is averaging 18.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the field. And for a big man he’s especially effective defensively with blocks, steals, deflections and simply taking up space near the basket.

The Pirates were expected to be good. But when it came to the Mid-Suburban League, both Fremd and Hersey were talked about first back in the preseason. And while those two are both off to outstanding starts, Palatine is right there with them in a three-way tie for first place.

There was some certainty about what the floor was for Balanganayi as far as production. He’s been a valuable, albeit underrated, contributor during his career. But he's surpassed an unexpected ceiling, quietly surpassing 1,000 career points.

The domination and sheer presence the big man is showcasing is a bit of a surprise, and it’s at the forefront of why the Pirates are playing at a higher level than anticipated. He’s a matchup nightmare at the high school level, becoming arguably the best two-sport athlete in Palatine history.

Oswego is on a roll

Oswego took a pounding at Bolingbrook back in early December, losing 82-54.

The Panthers will face the ranked Raiders again this Friday and will see just how far they’ve come since that Dec. 5 lopsided loss.

The 13-7 record won’t jump out at anyone, but coach Nick Oraham’s team has won five in a row and is 10-3 in its last 13 games, including wins over Oswego East, Plainfield East and Naperville North.

Super sophomore Ethan Vahl leads the charge. The uber-talented guard is averaging 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and three assists a game. He’s just past the midway point of his sophomore season and should eclipse 1,000 career points in the next week.

Oswego’s other boost came when senior Mariano Velasco and junior Graham Schwab re-acclimated themselves to basketball after playing on the state runner-up football team.

Velasco, the team’s top defensive player and other primary ballhandler, is averaging 6.2 points, three assists and three steals a game. Schwab is putting up 11.3 points a game, while senior Brayden Borrowman chips in 7.3 points.

Also, keep an eye on the development of 6-10 sophomore Cole Jansons, who was pivotal in Saturday’s win over Naperville North. His impact has grown. He’s averaged 8.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a game since the start of the new year.

Oswego is now making a push up the Bolingbrook Sectional seeding ladder. After Benet, Neuqua Valley and Bolingbrook, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds are wide open for teams in pursuit of a regional championship.

Local D3 school cracks the college rankings

There is a promising local basketball story developing in Division III on Chicago’s South Side.

University of Chicago is currently the No. 2 ranked team in Division III basketball, the program’s highest national ranking in 25 years. Coach Mike McGrath’s team is a sparkling 13-1 and has won 11 straight games.