Previewing and predicting the IHSA Class 4A sectional finals

Here is a preview of each Class 4A sectional championship game in the area on Friday.

Glenbrook North (25-7) vs. New Trier (27-7) at Maine South

There won’t be two teams more familiar with one another in any sectional championship game. This is a Central Suburban League South showdown — a rubber match between two teams that split during the regular season — in March.

Last year these two engaged in an epic 47-46 buzzer-beating win for New Trier in the sectional championship.

Glenbrook North is a different team with a healthy Josh Fridman. So much so that Glenbrook North lost to New Trier by an eye-opening 33 points late in the year when he wasn’t on the floor. The dynamo point guard has returned and led the Spartans to a win over New Trier in early January.

While Fridman is clearly the catalyst, the unsung production from Owen Giannoulias and Sam Lappin can’t be understated. All three perimeter players provide scoring punch.

New Trier took care of top-seed Loyola, 36-32, showing it can win in different ways. The Trevians youth, including sophomore Christopher Kirkpatrick at point guard, has grown up while their defense has improved.

The offensive arsenal of shooters to spread a defense is a tough matchup for most teams. Multiple players continue to show the ability to score in double figures for coach Scott Fricke, who has now won a whopping 89 games — and counting — in the last three seasons.

Kirkpatrick leads the way with 14 points a game but is followed closely by Ian Brown (11 ppg), Colby Smith (10 ppg) and Logan Feller (9 ppg). The Trevians, who bank on the little things from Will LeeMaster, even bring a dangerous offensive threat in Danny Houlihan (8 ppg) off the bench.

The pick: Glenbrook North 50, New Trier 49

Bolingbrook (27-4) vs. Downers Grove North (30-4) at East Aurora

If there is a team that is clicking on all cylinders in Class 4A, it’s Bolingbrook. The star power, along with the balance, has coach Rob Brost’s team looking like a state title contender.

Brost’s Raiders have a pair of third-place finishes (2015 and 2017), a fourth-place finish (2022) and are one win away from a fifth sectional championship since 2015.

Yes, freshman Davion Thompson and 6-7 junior JT Pettigrew have received rave reviews all season — and they produce to the tune of nearly 40 points and 17 rebounds between them — but don’t discount the play of valuable role players, including senior guard DJ Strong.

Top-seeded Bolingbrook took advantage of Benet’s inexperience playing sectional basketball in the semifinal win Tuesday night, a game the Raiders were in control of from start to finish. That won’t be the case in the title game matchup with Downers Grove North.

Jack Stanton, the star guard headed to Princeton, guard Owen Thulin and 6-8 Jake Reimer won a sectional last year and finished fourth in the state. They are back for more with the help of Alex Miller, a 6-4 senior who has emerged this season.

But what has been overlooked with this Trojans team is how cohesive they’ve become defensively. Smart but not the most athletic on the perimeter, Downers Grove North covers defensively with principles and determination. They’ve held their three postseason opponents to a mere 32 points a game in three wins.

The pick: Bolingbrook 53, Downers Grove North 48

York (26-7) vs. Glenbard North (21-11) at Addison Trail

There were plenty of drama-filled moments for these two in the sectional semifinal wins. York beat Batavia in overtime, while Glenbard North won on a desperation three at the buzzer from JJ Hernandez to stun top-seeded Lake Park.

York came away with a 58-43 win over Glenbard North a little over a month ago. But Glenbard North, which turned the ball over repeatedly in that first matchup, overcame two regular season losses to Lake Park in the sectional. Can the Panthers exact some revenge again?

The duo of the 6-4 Hernandez and 6-7 Jalen Crues is a big, athletic and versatile combo for Glenbard North.

York can rely a little heavily on star guard AJ Levine, who scored 22 in the sectional semifinal win. But he’s a special guard and an actual unsung star who can control a game in multiple ways.

The pick: York 48, Glenbard North 45

Homewood-Flossmoor (29-4) vs. Bloom (19-9) at Rich

The season has come full circle as these two squared off in a Thanksgiving tournament title game where H-F won 49-39. A ot of time has passed and a whole lot more is at stake in this one.

There have been 13 regional championships at H-F since 2006 but there hasn’t been a sectional title. The Vikings can end that drought. Gianni Cobb and Bryce Heard continue to play off one another to the chagrin of opposing defenses. The two combine for nearly 35 points a game.

Overall, the offensive blitz H-F can hit you with is a significant difference in comparison to Bloom, which at times has needed to grind it out offensively.

Bloom knows it can play with and beat anyone on a given night; the Blazing Trojans have played the type of schedule to prove that. Elijah Lovemore, a big 6-4 junior guard, did what he does in a sectional semifinal win over Marist: filled the stat sheet. He went for 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Lovemore, Payton Edwards, Santana Flowers and Jaden Clark are big, long, get on the offensive glass and can play a physical brand of basketball.

A real south suburban showdown in a south suburban gym for a sectional championship should generate a buzz. The pressure is clearly on favored H-F while Bloom seems like it’s playing with house money.

H-F played with fire in the sectional overtime win over Joliet West. The Vikings won’t let that happen again in the title game.

The pick: Homewood-Flossmoor 55, Bloom 50

Curie (30-2) vs. Simeon (17-13) at Riverside-Brookfield

Wouldn’t it be something if Simeon won a sectional championship in coach Tim Flowers’ first season? When you consider who Flowers replaced, who the Wolverines are playing and the regular season this team grinded through, it would be quite the story.

Simeon hasn’t exactly navigated a gauntlet to get to this point; the sectional semifinal win came over a depleted Kenwood team. The Wolverines needed a buzzer-beater from Lorenzo Shields to beat Hinsdale Central in the regional.

But the Wolverines, who have shown they can win close games, will have earned a sectional championship with a win over Curie, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A.

The Wolverines didn’t have many holdover pieces from last year’s third-place finisher in Class 3A. But senior Rashad McKinnie was one of them and he’s played big down the stretch.

At this point anything short of a sectional title would be a real letdown for Curie, particularly in this softer-than-normal sectional. Curie has proven guards, led by UIC recruit Carlos Harris and scoring guard Will Gonzalez.

Do recent matchups between these two late in the season linger in any way? Curie beat Simeon 60-57 and then pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 75-51 win in the city playoffs just a few weeks ago.

The pick: Curie 63, Simeon 55

Stevenson (23-8) vs. Palatine (26-8) at Elgin

On the cusp of winning its first sectional championship in over 40 years, Palatine was impressively gritty in beating Lake Zurich 53-39 in the sectional semifinal.

That margin of victory came with star Connor May in some foul trouble and even with some horrid free-throw shooting (15 of 31). Palatine trailed at the half but held Lake Zurich to just 15 points in the second half.

The senior tandem of 6-7 Connor May and Tommy Elter trigger the real keys to this team: connectivity and a winning spirit. The Pirates have won back-to-back Mid-Suburban League championships and broke the school record for wins Wednesday night.

Stevenson is a different team than the one that started the season 6-5, including a first-round loss in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic in late December. Since then the Patriots are an impressive 17-3. That includes a win over Warren.

The Patriots took care of the top seed in the sectional, Barrington, and now face another Mid-Suburban League opponent; they’re 4-0 against the MSL this year but have yet to face Palatine, the league champ.

Coach Will Benson’s first Stevenson team — Benson took over for coaching legend Pat Ambrose this season — is the classic “total team effort” story. There are no big names. While the Patriots are led by veterans Aidan Bardic and Jack Dabbs, the balance and depth spark this team.

The pick: Palatine 50, Stevenson 48

Warren (30-4) vs. McHenry (26-8) at Rock Valley College

This is a sectional title matchup you don’t hear every day.

McHenry hasn’t won a sectional since 1976 and has only four regional titles since then. But this has been a monumental McHenry season thus far, including a sectional win over Rockton-Hononegah that includes several milestones.

Coach Corky Card picked up his 300th career win, McHenry set a school record for victories and binge-scorer Marko Visnjevan surpassed 1,000 career points. Visnjevan has been on a torrid run, scoring 25, 37 and 23 points in three state tournament wins.

Warren was a regular sectional player in the coach Chuck Ramsey days. The Blue Devils won seven sectional titles from 1995-2012. But they haven’t been back in over a decade.

They’ve returned with star freshman guard Jaxson Davis leading the way and head into this sectional championship as a big favorite.

The pick: Warren 62, McHenry 47