Previewing and predicting the top Class 4A sectional semifinals

Sectional basketball is here, and the real excitement starts now. Every team still alive is just three wins from playing in Champaign for a state trophy.

Here are the best sectional semifinal games this Tuesday and Wednesday.

No. 5 Bolingbrook (26-4) vs. No. 11 Benet (27-6), Tuesday at East Aurora

A pair of programs and coaches familiar with deep tournament runs. They both have won four sectional titles and made it to the State Finals three times since 2014. And they both feature young, star power.

Few teams can match the productive 1-2 punch of Bolingbrook’s Davion Thompson, the freshman star averaging 19.2 points a game, and 6-7 junior JT Pettigrew (17.1 ppg, 10 rpg). Benet answers with a balanced attack featuring super sophomores Gabe Sularski and Jayden Wright.

The pick: Bolingbrook 62, Benet 60

No. 7 Downers Grove North (29-4) vs. No. 12 Waubonsie Valley (27-2), Wednesday at East Aurora

This is new territory for Waubonsie Valley. The Warriors, led by DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year Tyreek Coleman, are one win away from tying a school record for wins and playing for their first sectional championship since 1991.

Downers Grove North can lean on a few players, including Princeton recruit Jack Stanton, who have been through this before. The Trojans are locked in on winning their second straight sectional championship.

The pick: Downers Grove North 52, Waubonsie Valley 48

No. 15 Loyola (27-6) vs. No. 19 New Trier (26-7), Tuesday at Maine South

Miles Boland does a little of everything for the Ramblers with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and nearly three steals a game. He heads up a no-named Loyola group that has ramped up its defense since a late January loss to St. Patrick.

New Trier stumbled down the stretch of the regular season. But New Trier’s defense is better than people give it credit for and is one of the rare teams that can field four or even five shooting threats at once.

The combination of Logan Feller, Chris Kirkpatrick, Danny Houlihan, Ian Brown and Colby Smith packs some offensive firepower for the Trevians –– and a little too much for Loyola.

The pick: New Trier 49, Loyola 44

No. 24 Glenbrook North (24-7) vs. No. 17 Glenbrook South (26-6), Tuesday at Maine South

Josh Fridman is back and playing for Glenbrook North. After missing the final four games of the regular season, the point guard catalyst returned to score 20 points in the regional final win. But can the Spartans beat their rival for a third time this season?

Glenbrook South’s strong, athletic big man Nick Taylor (19 ppg) is a force and junior Anestis Hadjistamoulou (13 ppg) is playing terrific basketball at point guard.

The pick: Glenbrook North 60, Glenbrook South 57

No. 2 Homewood-Flossmoor vs. No. 20 Joliet West, Tuesday at Rich.

A year ago Joliet West came into the sectional with all the pressure as the No. 1 seed and the Fears brothers. They were upset by Oswego East. Now coach Jeremy Kreiger’s team is not only the underdog but playing its best basketball of the season with nine straight wins.

Joliet West’s Justus McNair, a Valpo recruit, averaged 26 points a game in two regional wins. The athletic 6-3 guard is a two-way player who combines with Zion Gross to form a potent perimeter attack.

H-F has been balanced all year with four double-figure scorers. Gianni Cobb has been a whirlwind difference-maker for H-F. The senior guard, along with 6-4 junior Bryce Heard, combine for 34 points a game.

The pick: Homewood-Flossmoor 65, Joliet West 58

No. 10 Marist (29-4) vs. No. 16 Bloom (18-9), Wednesday at Rich.

Quietly, Marist has won 13 straight games and crept its way into the top 10. This is a young nucleus, led by 6-8 junior Stephen Brown (12 ppg, 7 rpg), but senior Darshan Thomas (15 ppg, 8 rpg) has been a steady force.

In what has been a topsy-turvy season, the question is which Bloom team will show in the sectional? Elijah Lovemore, a stat-sheet-stuffing junior point guard, and Jaden Clark (10 ppg) lead the way for the Blazing Trojans.

Coach Dante Maddox’s team is certainly well-prepared. Bloom has played 11 games against teams currently ranked in the top 25, including wins over Thornton, Simeon, Kankakee and overtime defeats to Brother Rice and Benet.

The pick: Marist 55, Bloom 49