Boys basketball: Five storylines to watch across the Kane County area this postseason

Illinois high school basketball has entered its most exciting month of the season. Girls basketball playoffs have begun, with the boys beginning this week.

Here are postseason storylines to watch for Kane County-area boys basketball teams.

Can anyone stop Kaneland?

Kaneland lost its second game of the season back on Nov. 26, falling to McHenry 58-52 to push the Knights' record on the season to 1-1.

Since then, that one in the loss column has stayed that way for three months, as the Knights have won 27 straight games.

Their winning streak is the longest active streak among boys basketball teams in Illinois heading into the playoffs, and a win in the regional semifinal would tie them with Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin for the longest winning streak of the season at 28.

That streak has also helped them set a program record for wins in a season, a record they tied in each of the past two seasons, while also helping them go undefeated in Interstate 8 conference play for their third straight conference title.

So what’s been the key to their success?

It’s mainly come from their stars in both the front and back court. Senior Freddy Hassan has continued to be a consistent presence in the paint for the Knights, while junior Marshawn Cocroft has been an invaluable addition at the point.

And if they want to take home their first sectional title since 1982, the Knights will need to have all hands on deck.

Will Geneva add to its record season?

It’s been a pretty good season for Geneva (26-4).

After finishing around the middle of the pack in the DuKane Conference standings in each of the past last five seasons, the Vikings ran their way through conference play to go 14-0, their first undefeated slate since 1963, while winning their first DuKane Conference title since 2017-18, which just so happens to be the last time the team won a sectional.

So can they repeat history?

Leading the march has been 6-foot-6 Wisconsin-Parkside commit Hudson Kirby, who’s proven to be a menace in the paint both offensively and defensively for the Vikings. Pair that with some crafty guards in junior Gabe Jensen and Jack Hatton, and you have a team that’s gone 15-2 and only allowed 50 points in a game twice since the turn of the new year.

But getting a sectional title will be no easy feat, with teams like top-seeded Glenbard West (24-5) and frequent playoff opponent Wheaton Warrenville South (24-7) most likely awaiting them down the line.

But with the team playing some of its best basketball in recent history, Geneva has a chance to keep making history.

What does Burlington Central have in store for the postseason?

Burlington Central still remembered its early exit in the playoffs last season.

After winning back-to-back regional titles in 2022 and 2023, the Rockets suffered a 47-43 upset in the regional semifinal round to Marmion, ending their postseason much sooner than they originally hoped.

This time round, the Rockets are hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Central will have a tough test ahead of it to reclaim a regional title in its subsection of the Class 3A Rochelle sectional, as the Rockets will face Cary-Grove (18-13) in the regional semifinal, and most likely will take on second-seeded Crystal Lake South (27-4) for a shot at the regional title.

But the pieces are set for the Rockets to attempt at a deep run, especially with the senior leadership of players like Jack Johnson, who’s the winningest player in Rockets' history, and Patrick Shell taking charge.

Regular season finale déjà vu

While most teams usually face new opponents or ones that they faced earlier in the season for their first games of the postseason, some teams will face a very similar foe in their regional semifinal matchups.

Two teams that will for sure face that dilemma is Burlington Central and Batavia (13-17).

The Rockets, a No. 3 seed in their Class 3A subsectional, will have their rematch against fifth-seeded Cary-Grove. After beating them 57-40 in their first matchup back on Jan. 14, the Rockets fell to them 63-60 on Friday, and will hope to not face a similar fate in the now-elimination game.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will also look for revenge against Glenbard North (15-14), who defeated them 64-36 in their final regular season contest, in their Class 4A Geneva Regional semifinal. The Bulldogs won their first game against Glenbard North 50-37 and lost their second game to them 46-42, so they’ll look to win the season series in the most important game of the series.

Geneva might also face an opponent, but it requires an extra step. If St. Charles North, a 15th seed, manages to defeat No. 18 Elk Grove in their regional quarterfinal matchup Monday, then the Vikings and North Stars will have a runback of their regular-season finale, where Geneva came away with a 49-32 victory, in the regional semifinals.

Can an underdog make a postseason run?

Besides the aforementioned teams, a majority of Kane County teams find themselves in the middle of the pack in their respective sectionals, with St. Francis being the next highest-seeded school as a sixth seed in the Class 3A Glenbard South sectional.

But can one of those teams put together a sneaky postseason run?

The most likely bet is Marmion (18-13), who enters the playoffs with the best record among the middling teams.

The only problem is, they easily have the hardest path to success.

A sixth seed in its subsection of the Class 3A Rochelle sectional, the Cadets face Chicagoland Conference champion Wheaton Academy (20-8) in the regional semifinal. And if they pull that off, the Cadets would likely have to face off against Kaneland in the regional title.