Belvidere North boys’ hit court

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

The Blue Thunder boys’ basketball team bounces into the 2016 Class 4A State Playoffs beginning Monday, Feb. 27. The regular season is over.

The Monday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m., post-season tip-off at Jefferson High School features seven-seed Belvidere North taking on nine-seed Hampshire. Based on seeds, Belvidere North is favored to win its opening round match. But, it is expected to be competitive.

The win will move the seven-seed Blue Thunder on to the Jefferson Regional Semi-Final on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. to face the number one seed in the IHSA Class 4A Elgin Sectional-Complex, Boylan.

Belvidere North knows the Titans well. They just had to deal with Boylan, and they came up short. The Titans won 75-48 to help close the final week of play.

The Boylan win put them one win away from their perfect season. They ended the regular season with a 15-0 mark. They will be ready for Belvidere North on Tuesday night and still on a roll.

If statistics are accurate, Belvidere North will advance and get its shot at the “Champ” on Tuesday, Feb. 28. That’s if the higher seeds perform as they are expected. It is not a guarantee in the playoffs. If they get there, that means there’s always hope for an upset.

In the post-season, a lot of opening-round, “upset” winners, have continued their winning ways and enjoyed mini-streaks which have carried them through regional titles and more. They were playing hot at the right time. The Seeding Committee notices those things when they place teams.

One measure to determine the chance a team has to win in the post-season has to do with conference marks. Hampshire finished eight losses and 12 wins behind conference champion Algonquin Jacobs. They were 24-1 this year and 13-1 in Fox Valley.

The Whip-Purs were 1-9 in Fox Valley Conference this season. It was good enough for last place in the league. They carried a 7-19 mark into Monday’s Class 4A tip-off at Jefferson.

Belvidere North’s conference record was better than Hampshire’s. They had three times as many wins when they played within their own conference.

When issuing seeds, the IHSA Selection Committee also looks at how teams performed when facing similar opponents. Prairie Ridge is a good example. They defeated Belvidere by 14 points, 54-40. Hampshire fell by 17 to the same team.

Another team both the Blue Thunder and Whip-Purs faced was Huntley. Both Belvidere North and Hampshire lost to the Red Raiders.

Blue Thunder opened the winter season with a two-point loss, 71-69 to Huntley. Hampshire opened 2017 with a three-point loss to Huntley, 60-57. Hampshire did defeat Huntley on Tuesday, Feb. 14, during the Fox Valley Conference schedule, winning by four-points 38-34.

A final familiar opponent Belvidere North and Hampshire faced was McHenry. Blue Thunder lost to McHenry 45-35 in late November. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Whip-Purs fell to the Warriors, 57-46. When the numbers were compared, Belvidere North came out on top.

After looking at all the numbers, the Selection Committee gave Belvidere North the higher seed. Blue Thunder are expected to win their opener and slip into the Jefferson 4A Regional Semi-Final and a final shot at Boylan. The journey is expected to end there.

The Titans defeated Belvidere North to open the final week of the regular season on Friday, Feb. 17, 75-48. When the two teams met on Friday, Jan. 6 at Boylan, the Titans came out on top 73-45.

It is the playoffs. That means a lot of things can happen. A team can get hot and everything can work perfectly to allow a run to set in.

However, Blue Thunder’s situation doesn’t bode well, as the numbers show a Boylan Regional Championship at Jefferson and possibly a whole lot more waiting for them this season.