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Blue Thunder roll into bumpy post-season
On Wednesday, Feb. 15 following completion of the 7:30 p.m. Class 4A Girls’ Basketball Regional at Harlem High School, the five-seed Belvidere North Blue Thunder understand what it takes to be a winner in the post-season. They already know what it takes to win in an extremely competitive conference.
The NIC-10’s top-five teams carried an overall record of 102-37 into the start of the Class 3A and 4A Tournaments. Belvidere North is one of those top five teams, and they’ll start the post-season against one of the teams that finished in front of them in the final conference standings.
The Lady E-Rabs are the three-seed in the Harlem Class 4A Regional. They were favored to defeat Belvidere North on Wednesday, Feb. 15. They got a higher seed. East has gotten the best of the Lady Blue Thunder twice this season already.
On Dec. 16, East won by eight points, 49-41. Over a month later, the Lady E-Rabs visited Belvidere North and did it again. The Jan. 24 final score was one point greater 67-58.
Based on the Lady Blue Thunder’s fifth-place showing in the NIC-10 overall record and experience in head-to-head matches, they received the lower seed. However, they are capable of pulling off an upset or possibly two. They would have to start on Wednesday, Feb. 15 taking out the three seed East in the Harlem Regional Semi-Final.
The Lady E-Rabs finished in third place in the NIC-10 with a 13-3 mark. They were 22-6 for the season. To keep any hope alive, Belvidere North would have to follow up the opening night win with an even bigger upset of two-seed Hononegah in the Harlem Class 4A Regional Final.
The Lady Indians finished in second place this season in the NIC-10. They were 14-2 in the conference and 23-6 on the season. They only lost to Boylan and they did that twice. Everyone lost to Boylan. The winner moves on to Hampshire for the second round games.
The final upset to put Belvidere North in the Sectional Championship and give them a possible shot at Boylan, who may already be waiting, has to come over Upstate Eight – Valley Conference Champion South Elgin. They were 8-1 and 19-7 overall this season. The next step…Boylan that is unless the Lady Titans get upset before the Hampshire matches.
Members of the IHSA Selection Committee determined which teams were the strongest in specific areas in the State of Illinois. After determining that, a student-population number is set to differentiate the four separate classes
Boylan won the NIC-10, and they did it with emphasis. They were 16-0 in conference play and carried a 27-1 overall mark into their own Class 4A Girls’ Basketball Regional. They are the one-seed and are expected to work into a showdown with four-seed Hampshire in the Regional Final.
If the Lady Titans don’t face Hampshire, they will have to deal with Guilford, the six-seed, instead. It appears Boylan is going to the Sectional, and it further appears they might meet up with a team like Hononegah in a Championship position, if the Lady Indians could get past a team like Belvidere North.
