SCC flexes its muscle

Members of the Suburban Christian Conference are measuring up - in the early going at least - in this year's basketball postseason.

All three local teams - Aurora Christian, Aurora Central and Marmion Academy - that are part of the 12-team, two-division SCC will take to the court tonight. They're among the six league teams that are still playing. Marian Central, Wheaton Academy and St. Francis are alive, too.

The Eagles, who last week won the Class 2A Lisle Regional, will meet Chicago Uplift for the title of the Class 2A Aurora Christian Sectional. Aurora Central and Marmion Academy will play for Class 3A regional titles at Sycamore and Hampshire, respectively, after knocking off higher-seeded teams earlier this week in their opening games.

"I think it speaks volumes about the competitive level of play in our conference," said Aurora Christian coach Steve Hanson, whose team is coming off a 75-70 win Wednesday over Providence St. Mel. "We're not typically known as a basketball conference."

No. 3 Aurora Central plays top-seeded Rochelle after beating No. 2 Kaneland. Third-seeded Marmion takes on No. 1 Crystal Lake Central after upsetting No. 2 Hampshire at home. All three games will start at 7:30 p.m.

None of the local coaches say they're feeling like Rodney Dangerfield. They're respected.

"I think it's definitely a good thing for our conference to still have six teams alive," first-year Marmion coach Ryan Paradise said. "I don't know that any of us has been overlooked. For one thing, seeding in high school basketball is very, very hard. There are so many teams and so many leagues it's hard to compare them."

All three local teams have battled to stay at or near the .500 mark all season. Aurora Christian is 14-16, the Chargers are 14-13 and the Cadets are 15-12. And all three point to tough non-conference schedules as part of the reason for those records.

"Our schedule is brutal," said Hanson, whose team opened at the Oswego

Naperville North Hoops For Healing Tournament and played in DeKalb's Dayton Holiday Tournament at Christmas. Both fields are made up mainly of Class 3A and 4A schools.

"We've only had seven games versus schools that were 1A-2A," he continued. "We basically play a 3A schedule. Your concern is always about the kids' confidence because we've lost so many close games. With the exception of three, we've been in all our games going into the final two minutes.

"We've kept telling our kids we're knocking on the door and now, basically, we're opening it."

Aurora Central coach Nate Drye maintains his team could have easily won 20 games if he had put together an easier schedule, but he's been upgrading it for several years to get his team ready for the postseason. That's why the Chargers played South Elgin, Rock Island and Quincy this year.

"We play to get better," he said.

At Aurora Christian

The Eagles have won three straight since ending the regular season with a one-point loss to once-beaten Wheaton Academy.

Hanson said Chicago Uplift is similar to the Providence St. Mel team the Eagles beat in the sectional semifinal.

"They're going to play the same type of game," he said. "They pressure the ball and have good athletes, although they're a little less disciplined (than St. Mel).

"They have a bonafide standout in Devontae Smith, who is a 6-5, 200-pound senior. He can shoot and rebound plus he can also step out and shoot a 3. They have a sophomore guard (Devin Brown) who is really quick and can also shoot the 3."

At Sycamore

Drye knows Kaneland defeated Rochelle (20-9) twice to win its conference title but takes nothing for granted tonight facing the Hubs, who prefer an uptempo style and love to hoist the 3-pointer.

"You can be guarding them and they'll still put it up and it might go in," he said. "They take good shots, bad shots, any kind of shots from just about anywhere. Once they cross that center line they're liable to put it up."

As it has been all year, handling pressure from the opposing team will be key for ACC.

"If we don't turn it over I think we'll be able to hang in there with them," Drye said. "And, of course, we like to run some, too."

At Hampshire

Crystal Lake Central, which is 23-4, has won 10 straight and features four players who average 10-12 points each. They include senior post players 6-7 Matt Gleixner and 6-6 Jake Chrystal, along with 6-2 senior Joe Pijanowski and junior guard Chase Crane.

"They're really long and athletic and they get after it defensively," Paradise said. "Their big guys are not just big and strong, they can move and step outside, too. We've only seen them the one time, but they're mainly man-to-man, although they threw a little 1-2-2 trap, too."

The Cadets carry a five-game winning streak themselves.

"Confidence is huge at this time of year," Paradise said. "I feel like our heart has been there all season. These kids play so hard. Execution-wise, we've been more comfortable lately. It will help if we can keep that confidence up."

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