Here’s a look at the second round of the Public League playoffs…
Hubbard at Simeon
Senn at Marshall
Fenger vs. Hope at Englewood
Foreman vs. Farragut at Collins
Morgan Park at Curie
Julian at Young
Vocational at Lincoln Park
Crane at Washington
Best game: Crane at Washington. Both teams spent most of the season ranked. The Minutemen feel they’ve been underappreciated this season and plan on using the city tournament to prove that. Sound familiar? They did they same thing last season, advancing all the way to the title game at the United Center, where they lost to Simeon. However, Crane is a tough matchup for Washington. The Minutemen don’t have a big man to match up with Crane’s Indiana-bound forward Brandon McGee.
Possible upset: Foreman vs. Farragut. Due to a flooded gym, the Admirals have lost their home court advantage. The game will be played at Collins, which is a bad break. The Hornets are young and talented and have already proven that they can spring a big win now and again. Farragut center Mike Dunigan has been playing very well lately, but the Admirals have to get him the ball more.
Watch for a great finish: Julian-Young, Morgan Park-Curie and Fenger-Hope should all be fought down to the last second. There aren’t really any favorites in those three games, it may come down to who wants it more. That being the case, keep an eye on Julian and Fenger. Both teams have played very well but stayed under the radar most of the season. The Titans win over Von Steuben wasn’t really that huge of an upset. There is plenty of talent at Fenger (Quentin Williford, Ray Gregory, Illya Glover). The Eagles counter with Eric Bergin, who has put up eye-popping numbers all season.
