Stateline Preps: Boys Hoops Power Rankings (Final Edition)
It’s finally here!
The final edition of the Prep Boys Hoops Power Rankings. It’s been an interesting regular season so far, but I have a feeling we could be in line for some surprises when the postseason begins for area teams this week.
Some Stateline teams (Beloit Memorial, South Beloit and North Boone) will have the luxury of home cooking for regionals and as far as Beloit Memorial goes, for sectionals.
The SoBos begin their quest to repeat as regional champions Monday night when they take on Rockford Keith at 8 p.m. If the SoBos win, they could be in line for a fourth meeting with Pecatonica. That would mark the second year in a row the SoBos and Indians will have met four times. South Beloit won all four games last year — including the regional championship game — but Pecatonica has a 2-1 advantage this year.
Unlike last season, it seems like the SoBos are entering the tournament playing their best basketball of the season. The SoBos have won eight in a row and look like the team to beat in the 1A Regionals.
Beloit Memorial’s trip to Middleton last Saturday will be the Knights final bus trip of the season unless they make it to State — which is 3 weeks away.
The Knights wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Beloit Memorial Sectional and would be at home for all 3 contests. Beloit’s chances of making it to Madison for a 27th time in school history seem to be right on schedule.
A final look at the prep hoops rankings:
(Disclaimer: This is my opinion only, so if you don’t agree with it, feel free to send me a comment on the bottom of the page. Otherwise, it’s not a life-and-death situation.)
1. BELOIT MEMORIAL (13-8): Beloit Memorial has taken down some heavyweights this season (see: Madison East, Madison Memorial and Verona), but have some questionable losses (see: Middleton, twice and Madison La Follette). But the Knights, when playing at their peak, are still the best team in the Stateline. The key for the Knights will not to get too big-headed going into the tournament, now they’ve sewn up home-court advantage. Rob Douglas’ back seems to be getting healthier, which is more good news for a talented Beloit squad.
2. SOUTH BELOIT (21-4): I was one of the people that had my doubts on the SoBos this year, especially after a lackluster start that saw them drop two games to a team (Pecatonica) that wasn’t as talented as South Beloit. Now, the pieces seem in place for a stretch run and a return to Hanover River Ridge for 1A Sectionals. Katonka Friar has been outstanding all season and David Robinson looks like he’s solidified the SoBos’ front court with his solid contributions. While last year, they were probably one of the favorites to make it to State, this year they would be considered the Stateline’s top sleeper threat.
3. HONONEGAH (20-7): Hononegah has an impressive resume this season when it comes to playing some of Illinois’ best competition. But the Indians are lacking some pivotal victories, including an 0-3 record against the NIC-10’s best (Rockford Boylan and Rockford Auburn). The positive for the Indians is that Mario Donaldson looks like his old self, posting big games in the past two weeks. If the Indians are to do anything in the postseason, they’ll need Donaldson to be at his best.
4. BIG FOOT (10-10): The Chiefs .500 record doesn’t impress at first glance, but a lot of those losses came early in the season when Big Foot was still celebrating its WIAA Division 4 State Football Championship. There’s no team in the Rock Valley South that imposes their style of play on the opponent better than the Chiefs. I also think the Chiefs learned that senior guard Steve Dowden needs to shoot the ball more. Usually when that occurs, good things happen for Big Foot.
5. PARKVIEW (14-7): The Vikings looked like the run-away favorite in the middle of the season for the RV South title. But then they came back down to Earth with tough losses against Brodhead and Big Foot. A conference title is still in reach for the Vikings if they can knock off Beloit Turner on Friday in Orfordville. In case you haven’t heard (who hasn’t?), it would be the Vikings first conference crown since the 1965-66 season.
STAR SYSTEM
(I award stars to the top five players in the past week, checking out who had star performances in the final week).
1. KATONKA FRIAR (SOUTH BELOIT) — It’s amazing watching Friar blossom into a star player. Last year, he was considered the third or fourth option on a SoBos’ squad that finished 28-2. Now, he’s the driving force behind their success. If you don’t believe that, check out his triple double — yes, triple double — in last week’s win over state-ranked Lanark Eastland.
2. J.J. PANOSKE (BRODHEAD) — If Brodhead doesn’t get its referendum situation worked out, Panoske may be the top “free agent” in the Stateline. While that doesn’t seem likely, Panoske’s improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed. He scored 32 in a win over Big Foot and 37 more in a victory over Beloit Turner last week. Turning down a scholarship to Division 1 UW-Green Bay now looks like a smart move. Maybe.
3. MARIO DONALDSON (HONONEGAH) — The Mario Donaldson that’s now playing for the Indians looks nothing like the one that was benched midway through the season and, at times, looked lost on the court. Donaldson has added aggressiveness to his game, taking it to the basket more often than settling for jumpers. Somewhere, Mike Miller is smiling.
4. STEVE DOWDEN (BIG FOOT) — The usually reserved Dowden was all smiles following his 22-point effort in Big Foot’s 77-71 win over Parkview last Friday. Dowden knocked down five three-pointers and resembled the coach on the floor that he was supposed to be at the beginning of the season.
5. DAVID ROBINSON (SOUTH BELOIT) — If there’s a key to the SoBos going far this season, it may be the play of the athletic Robinson. If Robinson can grab 10 rebounds a game, the pressure on the SoBos’ guards lessens. He’s been playing well of late and it shows in the results. While the three-guard attack led the SoBos to the sectionals last year, it was Matt Peterson who usually was the key to their success. Can Robinson do the same this postseason? We’ll see.
Thanks for following Stateline hoops fans! Keep checking out the BDN Blogs as I will continue to post in the future. Good luck to all the Stateline teams!
Parkview's Jamie Wichser, right, and Big Foot's Marcus Greben go up for a rebound during last Friday's game.
