Friday’s top games
Rolling Meadows (13-2) at Hersey (12-2)
Is Hersey the team that can end the stranglehold Rolling Meadows has on the Mid-Suburban League West?
Coach Kevin Katovich’s experienced, senior-dominated team, led by Marquette-bound Ian Miletic, is a staggering 42-1 in the MSL West over the past four-plus seasons.
Hersey, under new coach Bob Widlowski, is off to a nice start behind up-and-coming junior Charlie Pomis. The Huskies, though, have lost their two toughest games — to downstate Morton and Hinsdale Central — by a combined 43 points.
The pick: Rolling Meadows 50, Hersey 46
Mount Carmel (12-2) at St. Ignatius (13-2)
Both these Catholic League contenders have one loss in league play, so it’s an early must-win situation to realistically stay in contention.
Plenty of senior star power on hand, starting with Northwestern recruit Phoenix Gill who leads St. Ignatius with 20.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game. Chris Bolte has enjoyed a breakout junior season with 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds a game.
Mount Carmel has a few high-end weapons in the senior duo of Grant Best and Cameron Thomas, along with junior guard Noah Mister. All three are potential 20-plus-point threats.
The pick: Mount Carmel 59, St. Ignatius 52
DePaul Prep (15-1) at Loyola (14-4)
The perfect time for a Loyola measuring stick after the annual holiday tournament trip to Florida and, more importantly, getting everyone on the same page and practicing together following the annual football run.
The Ramblers have won 11 out of 12, including a win over ranked rival St. Ignatius. They are doing it with three juniors in double figures: guard Trey Williams (12 ppg), shooter Sam Golden (12 ppg) and Luke Alvarez (10 ppg). Senior Brendan Loftus, a Division I football player, is also in double figures with 10 points a game.
How they fare against the No. 1 team will tell us how far this team has come and its potential going forward.
DePaul’s defense is still a stalwart. But Makai Kvamme makes things go, and the offensive punch provided by the inside presence of Rashaun Porter and guard Rykan Woo provides a different dimension than even recent coach Tom Kleinschmidt teams.
The pick: DePaul 48, Loyola 37
Lemont (11-4) at Oak Lawn (11-4)
The top team in the South Suburban Blue, Lemont, travels to Oak Lawn, the top team in the South Suburban Red.
Donte Montgomery remains the catalyst for Oak Lawn as the senior is putting up more than 18 points a game.
But trying to offset the Lemont trio of Gabe Sularski, Matas Gaidukevicius and Alanas Castillo, who all average between 12-15 points a game, won’t be easy.
The pick: Lemont 73, Oak Lawn 67
Saturday’s top games
Evanston (13-2) at Rolling Meadows (13-2)
A big weekend for Rolling Meadows. The Mustangs follow up a conference showdown at Hersey on Friday with a ranked Evanston on Saturday.
Ian Miletic and company remember a year ago when Evanston walloped the Mustangs pretty good. They will have their hands full again.
Evanston’s Theo Rocca is one of the real underrated players in the state. A leader and winner who can shoot it, score and will do the little things to help his team win. Combo guard Ben Olala has been an impressive freshman and has provided the Wildkits a real spark.
The pick: Evanston 63, Rolling Meadows 57