Belvidere North Boys Basketball placement test

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

On Thursday, Feb. 16, questions were answered as the Belvidere North Blue Thunder boys’ basketball team found out their placement for the Class 4A Basketball Tournament.

To determine placement, the committee looked at how well a team competed within their conference and how good that conference was. They sifted through many things as they determined the Blue Thunder’s direction.

Belvidere North plays in the NIC-10. That carries a lot of significance. Great teams play through Winnebago and Boone Counties. Ranked programs have gone to state finals, representing those same areas.

But, Belvidere North struggled with those teams this season. It will hurt their seeding.

The conference-champion Boylan is the NIC-10’s best. They are undefeated and they are state-ranked for a reason.

In the NIC-10, the 16-0 mark stood for the Lady Titans. They did their job, and they did it at an undefeated clip too. That looks to be the case for the boys’ team as they prepare to close the final week of the regular season.

With a week to go still, surprises can occur. It doesn’t seem too likely though. Boylan leads a field of qualified NIC-10 teams that carry a combined 44-12 mark through fourth place.

The rest of the NIC-10 field features Belvidere, Jefferson, and Freeport, who all finished ahead of Belvidere North with combined marks of 19-21, still formidable through seventh place.

Belvidere North entered the final week of the regular season in eighth place with a 5-20 season mark. Seeding will impact how much success they see this season. It won’t be easy. It could be a short journey.

Belvidere North can get things together and be ready to play when the post-season begins on Feb. 27. They will probably be working through a “play-in” capacity for the right to face the top seed or second highest seed in the sectional complex. But, they have already faced tough teams. They did it all year, and yet still hung in there. That makes them dangerous to opponents who may try to overlook the overall season mark.

When the seeding committee met they split up a field of teams of which a heavy influence from the NIC-10 is noted. Hampshire and Huntley are exceptions.

Jefferson and Hononegah will host the Class 4A Boys’ Basketball Regionals. The teams that will be split up by the IHSA Selection Committee include Boylan, East, Guilford, Auburn, and Jefferson. The J-Hawks may be asked to host this field.

The second half of the Elgin High School Class 4A Sectional-Regional Field will play at Hononegah. Those teams joining the Indians could include Hampshire, Huntley, Rockford Lutheran, Harlem, and Belvidere North.

The Class 4A State Tournament begins the week of Feb. 27, but the seeds will be issued this week which will then draw a very good picture as to what Belvidere North will have to do to get a shot at a sectional view.