Lockport, Minooka among area teams hoping to parlay high seeds into postseason success

With the postseason rapidly approaching, several area girls basketball teams have been wrapping up their regular-season schedules. The reward for successful seasons from teams such as Lockport and Minooka, among others, has been high seeds in the upcoming tournament.

After winning 13 and 12 games the past two seasons, the Porters have turned things around, to the tune of a 25-4 record so far this season and the second seed in the Class 4A Rich Township Sectional. Lockport will open play in its own regional Feb. 17, taking on the winner of No. 18 seed Eisenhower and No. 12 Joliet Central.

Minooka, meanwhile, has turned its season around as the season has worn on. The Indians began the year with a 2-6 record but have gone 17-4 since then to sport a 19-10 record and the second seed in the Class 4A Alton Sectional. They will open against No. 7 Bradley-Bourbonnais on Feb. 18 in the Normal West Regional.

“This is a good group of girls,” Minooka coach John Placher said. “They really listen to what the coaching staff has to say, and they go out and do it.

“We got the second seed in our subsectional, and we just beat a very good Plainfield North team for the second time this year. These girls have come a long way since being 2-6. We’re playing our best at the right time.”

OTHER HOT TEAMS

Lockport and Minooka are not the only teams that have had success and were rewarded with high seeds. In the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional, Bolingbrook (18-10) has gained the No. 3 seed and will play in the Metea Valley Regional, where they open with No. 15 Metea Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Plainfield North (19-10) has won nine of its past 11 games and is the No. 5 seed in the sectional. The Tigers will play No. 12 Oswego in their first regional game Feb. 18.

In the Class 4A Rich Township Sectional, Lincoln-Way West (20-9) is the third seed and the Warriors will play Shepard on Feb. 17 in the Lincoln-Way East Regional, while sixth-seeded Lincoln-Way East will take on No. 11 Lincoln-Way Central in the other regional semifinal game the same night.

In Class 3A, Morris has found itself in the AP rankings for most of the season and owns a 23-5 record. That has earned it a No. 3 seed in the subsectional of the Ottawa Sectional, and Morris will play No. 5 Bloomington in the semifinals of the Washington Sectional. If Morris wins that game, it will most likely face top-seeded Washington in the title game. Providence Catholic, meanwhile, is the No. 2 seed in the Marian Catholic Sectional and will host its own regional after recently taking third place in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament. The Celtics (19-11) play No. 15 Thornridge on Feb. 17.

FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS

Following is a list of the first-round matchups for Herald-News area girls basketball teams.

Saturday, Feb. 15

4A Lockport Regional - Eisenhower at Joliet Central, TBA; 4A Marist Regional - Thornwood at Romeoville, TBA; 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional - East Aurora at Plainfield South, 1 p.m.; 4A Benet Academy Regional - Plainfield Central at Plainfield East, 1 p.m.; 2A Coal City Regional – Peotone at Reed-Custer, 3 p.m.; 1A St. Bede Regional – Gardner-South Wilmington at St. Bede, 5 p.m.

Monday, February 17

4A Lincoln-Way East Regional - Lincoln-Way West vs. Shepard, 6 p.m.; Lincoln-Way East vs. Lincoln-Way Central; 7:30 p.m.; 4A Lockport Regional - Lockport vs. Eisenhower/Joliet Central winner, 6 p.m.; 3A TF North Regional - Lemont vs. Chicago Brooks, 7:30 p.m.; 3A Providence Catholic Regional - Providence Catholic vs. Thornridge, 7:30 p.m.; 3A Washington Regional – Morris vs. Bloomington, 7:30 p.m.; 1A Dwight Regional - Dwight vs. Grace Christian/Donovan winner, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 18

4A Joliet West Regional - Homewood-Flossmoor vs. Joliet West, 6 p.m.; 4A Plainfield North Regional - Plainfield North vs. Oswego, 7:30 p.m.; 4A Metea Valley Regional - Bolingbrook vs. Metea Valley, 6 p.m.; 2A Beecher Regional – Seneca vs. Momence/Beecher winner 6 p.m.; 2A Coal City Regional – Coal City vs. Peotone/Reed-Custer winner 6 p.m., Joliet Catholic vs. Wilmington 7:30 p.m.