Lady Blue Thunder consider future plans

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

It’s only a few weeks from now when the Belvidere North girls’ basketball team sets out into the large-school Class 4A State Championship Tournament. The idea of beating the largest schools in the state is the reality facing the Lady Blue Thunder, and it takes a special effort to achieve goals as substantial as a state title.

Belvidere North has had its share of trouble navigating the extremely-talented NIC-10 regular-season schedule.

With a conference mark of 6-3, they find themselves in fairly good position. Because of the earlier effort and in the anticipation of a continued streak of success over the final weeks of the regular season, there are signs that the Lady Blue Thunder could work out a path to the Class 4A Regional Semi-Final and maybe even more.

A lot of things are taken into consideration when seeds are issued for the state’s participants in the post-season tournaments. Winning within the conference is one of the first places officials look. How well a team did during out-of-conference experiences and success in tournament games are others.

The next few weeks of even more refined efforts will help the Lady Blue Thunder look at their chances with a lot more clarity.

A streak of crucial NIC-10 clashes began on Friday, Jan. 20 as Belvidere North faces the loaded and dangerous Lady E-Rabs. The match will be a warm-up for the physical meeting that waits when Harlem responds to an invitation to play on Friday, Jan. 27. Everything is a warm-up for the next appointment on the schedule in all reality, when it comes to talk of a race for the NIC-10 title.

Each game leading up to the Tuesday, Jan. 31 showdown with the Boylan Lady Titans off Main Street in Rockford will be critical, if not just for the wins and losses they bring, but to help reinforce an atmosphere of success and expectations. An upset of Boylan is a major accomplishment, and it means a lot of things are still possible, even with a little over a week in the regular season remaining.

February opens with a home game against Rockford Guilford and moves to Rockton and a final showdown with the Hononegah Lady Indians on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The season closes on Thursday, Feb. 9 at Belvidere North and the Lady Blue Thunder will have valuable information of their success in the regular season. It will show how highly thought of the IHSA Selection Committee views the Lady Blue Thunder when the playoffs begin.

The Hampshire Sectional Complex features regional host sites at Boylan and Harlem High Schools. Based on the seeds to be issued, the Lady Blue Thunder will learn where they play after the final rankings are set and the post-season seeds are issued.

There is a good chance that if Belvidere North keeps finding ways to win, it could be a productive run towards March.