Perhaps they should play the Illinois Class 4A girls basketball championships in Chicago. Right there in the United Center. A Bulls game can be the preliminary.
When the 4A semifinals are played Friday night at Redbird Arena in Normal, the match-ups will feature four teams from the Chicago area, including one city team, defending 4A champion Whitney Young.
The Dolphins (32-1) have cracked the nation’s top 10. They are ranked No. 9 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 1 in Illinois. Young has not has not lost in Illinois all season and among its victories is one by 30 points over Wheeling, ranked No. 3 in Illinois, and one of the 4A semifinalists.
The Dolphins have not lost in more than three months, a 66-64 loss to Heritage Christian of Indianapolis. Friday night, they’ll face the only remaining unbeaten team in Illinois 4A, Geneva, which has won 32 straight -- but maybe only because the Vikings didn’t meet Young during the regular season.
As strong as the Dolphins are with three seniors in their starting lineup, sophomore guard Chanise Jenkins has risen to lead Young with a 16.3 points per game average and send the Dolphins to the Final Four by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-point shot to win in the Supersectionals.
Geneva is led by senior forward Taylor Whitley, an Indiana State recruit who is averaging 20.4 points per game.
The winner of Friday night‘s 8:15 p.m. game will play Bolingbrook (23-4), ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps, or third-ranked Wheeling (32-1), whose only loss came to Young. Bolingbrook has not played Young or Wheeling.
The Bolingbrook vs. Wheeling contest will produce a classic battle of youth vs. experience. Wheeling senior forward Ashley Wilson leads the team with 18.4 points per game; Bolingbrook freshman forward Morgan Tuck averages 18.8 points per game At 6-foot-2, Tuck is the tallest player of any starter on the four semifinal teams.
Friday‘s winners will meet for the 4A title at 8:15 p.m. Saturday at Redbird Arena.
Class 3A Girls: Marshall chases another title
Young won‘t be the only team attempting to add a second straight state championship this weekend at Illinois State‘s Redbird Arena.
Chicago Marshall (25-6), ranked No. 17 in the state by MaxPreps, is two wins away from its second consecutive championship and ninth overall. The Commandos meet unranked Peoria Richwoods (32-3) in Friday‘s semifinals, then would face either No. 8 Springfield (29-3) or Freeport (30-3) in Saturday‘s 12:45 p.m. final.
Richwoods has three starters averaging double figures, including sophomore guard Mariah Smith‘s 15.4 points per game.
Adrienne GodBold, a University of Illinois recruit, leads Marshall with an 18.4 points-per-game average.
Boys Basketball: Double the fun?
Young and Bolingbrook, both in Friday night regional championship games, are among a few schools still in the running for double basketball state titles in girls and boys.
The Dolphins (20-9), ranked No. 7 in Illinois by MaxPreps, will meet unranked Fenwick (17-9) in the Farragut Regional with the winner advancing to the Supersectionals next week. Young starting guard Ahmad Starks is out with a fractured wrist. Bolingbrook will meet Glenbard East in a regional being played at Glenbard West.
A 4A regional to watch: City rivals Simeon and Curie will play in the Revis Regional.
All regional finals are Friday night, with the Supersectionals beginning Monday. The 4A and 3A semifinals and finals will be played March 20 and 21 at the Peoria Civic Center.
Class 3A Boys: Phoenix meets Nazareth for regional title
No. 4 North Lawndale (20-4), which defeated two 4A teams to win its first-ever Chicago Public League Championship, will face Nazareth Academy in a regional championship game hosted by Nazareth/LaGrange Park. The Phoenix are led, in part, by rebounding machine Jonathan Mills.
If North Lawndale makes it all the way to the final, it could meet top-ranked Champaign Centennial (27-1). The Chargers’ only loss was on the last day of 2008 to Chicago Hope. The Chargers will face city rival Champaign Central in a regional final Friday.
A 3A regional to watch: Lindblom (11-18), one of the remaining teams with a losing record, will take on Chicago University High School (22-4) in a regional final Friday night at University High. The winner will play Harper or Hope, both Chicago city schools.
Routt’s run ends without coach
While Jacksonville Routt's run through the Class 1A tournament ended Wednesday with a 53-49 loss to West Central in the sectionals, the Rockets’ coach, Billy Cooper, was marching to the orders of Uncle Sam far away in California.
After coaching Routt to a dramatic 54-53 win over Calvary Academy for a regional title, Cooper announced to his players that he wouldn’t be with them the rest of the way due to a two-week U.S. Army National Guard commitment in Oakland, Calif.
“It makes it tough,” Cooper told the State Journal-Register of Springfield. “But there’s something we can still teach the kids here. There are times, no matter what’s going on, that there are priorities you just have to take care of.”
Paul Bowker covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com