Five storylines to watch during the IHSA sectionals

With regional play completed, we are now into March and neck-deep into the IHSA state tournament brackets.

Here are five storylines to keep an eye on in this week’s sectional action.

Can underdogs continue to surprise?

As the No. 13 seed in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional, Yorkville, with upset wins over No.  4 Naperville North and No.  5 Downers Grove South, is the lowest-seeded team to advance to sectional play in several years.

The Foxes were enjoying a team dinner a couple of weeks ago when the IHSA released sectional seeds and regional matchups. Once they’d had a chance to dissect a few things, coach John Holakovsky saw his team brimming with confidence.

“Our kids saw a path,” Holakovsky said. “They saw it and were fired up.”

That path would allow them to avoid the sectional’s “Big Three” of Benet, Neuqua Valley and Bolingbrook in regional play. Holakovsky also was intrigued about not having to play other conference foes such as Oswego, Oswego East and Plainfield East in the regional.

“I was excited to play new teams, to be honest — super excited to play schools we don’t have any connections to,” he said. “We went in with a lot of confidence.”

He and the Foxes (16-12) believed they were much better than a 13 seed, and they showed it in both the regular season and this past week, when they claimed their first regional championship in 21 years by beating Downers Grove South. That made them the lowest seed to advance to a sectional since West Aurora as a No. 14 seed in 2021.

“This is a huge win for the program,” Holakovsky said. “We are trying to grow basketball in our community. This allows those kids who were in the gym for the regional to dream. Having success builds momentum.”

Simeon, the No. 11 seed in the Class 4A Mount Carmel Sectional, took down No. 6 Riverside-Brookfield and No. 3 Young to keep its regional title streak intact.

What are the chances either of these underdogs, Yorkville or Simeon, can pull off another upset to play for a sectional championship Friday night?

For Yorkville, not so good. No. 1-ranked Benet is a massive favorite in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal.

Simeon will face a tall task as well, albeit a more manageable one, against second-seeded
St. Ignatius.

Sophomore stars collide again

The When Sides Collide Shootout in January offered a glimpse at the top two sophomore prospects in the state. Neuqua Valley’s Cole Kelly and Bolingbrook’s Brady Pettigrew squared off in a marquee matchup and didn’t disappoint, as Kelly finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds in leading Neuqua to a 75-69 victory, while Pettigrew scored 26 points.

A little more than a month later, the two have led their respective Class 4A teams to the sectional semifinals, where they’ll meet again Wednesday night in Bolingbrook.

High school basketball rarity: 2,000-point scorers TO meet

Warren junior Jaxson Davis and Rockford Auburn senior Amir Danforth both have more than 2,000 career points, and they’ll face each other Tuesday night in the Rockton-Hononegah Sectional.

The last (and possibly only) time this occurred previously was in 2015, when Lake Forest’s Evan Boudreaux and Stevenson’s Jalen Brunson met in a sectional championship game.

Stars showcased in 3A sectional

Folks in Ottawa probably have no rooting interest in Wednesday’s sectional semifinal matchup between Kankakee and East Peoria. Neither school is within 60 miles of the sectional host school. But those attending are in for a show as two of the state’s top talents take the floor.

Kankakee’s 6-6 Lincoln Williams is the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Class of 2026 and the best uncommitted senior in the state, having averaged 26 points and six rebounds a game while leading the Kays to a 28-1 record.

East Peoria’s Quinton Kitt is the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Class of 2027 and already committed to Illinois. With 37 points in the regional final, Kitt led East Peoria to its first regional championship since 1997.

Can Kaneland get to 34-0?

The last unbeaten team that made it to the IHSA state finals in either of the two largest classes was Fremd in 2017. The Vikings rolled into Peoria with a 30-0 record before losing to Young in the semifinals.

Unbeaten Kaneland, in Class 3A, is three wins away.

The Knights, now 32-0 after two convincing regional victories, will be considerable favorites in the Woodstock Sectional semifinals against Rockford East (16-17). If Sycamore gets by Crystal Lake South, it would set up a third matchup of the season between Sycamore and Kaneland.

Illinois hasn’t had an undefeated state champion since Seneca went 35-0 season in 2006, winning the Class A title.