Showdowns dot Joliet-area playoff map

Updated: October 17, 2011 7:28PM

The postseason opens next week. Some local parings are either slated or are possible in the regionals and beyond.

The Joliet area has nine teams in the Class 4A West Aurora Sectional. Some local match-ups on tap Monday include No. 16 seed Plainfield East against No. 17 seed Joliet West in a Benet Regional quarterfinal, and No. 15 seed Bolingbrook vs. No. 18 seed Plainfield South in a Lockport Regional quarterfinal.

Plainfield North is the No. 14 seed in the sectional. The Tigers also will play Monday at the Plainfield Central Regional, where the ninth seeded host Wildcats play Tuesday against No. 6 Metea Valley.

Joliet Central is the No. 10 seed and plays at the Benet Regional, where it plays No. 8 seed West Aurora on Tuesday. A win there and the Steelmen likely would face top-seeded Benet in the final.

Romeoville is the No. 12 seed and plays No. 5 seed Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday at the Oswego Regional. Fifth-ranked Lockport is the highest area seed at No. 7 and hosts its own regional, facing No. 11 seed Oswego East on Tuesday.

Three area teams are in the Andrew Sectional complex. Fourth-ranked Lincoln-Way East is seeded fifth and faces the host No. 11 seed Rebels in the T.F. South Regional on Tuesday. Both No. 6 seed Lincoln-Way Central and the third seeded host Celtics are at the Providence Regional. If they both win Tuesday, the Knights and No. 2-ranked Celtics would play for the regional crown Thursday.

Third-ranked Minooka hosts its own regional and is the top seed. If the Indians win the regional, they will travel to the Edwardsville Sectional.

In Class 3A, top-ranked Joliet Catholic hosts its own sectional. The Angels are the top seed in the Yorkville Regional and open play Tuesday.

Also in the Joliet Catholic Sectional is Lincoln-Way West, which is the top seed in the Manteno Regional. The Warriors could face No. 4 seed Peotone, which plays No. 5 seed Kankakee on Monday, in the semifinals Tuesday. The winner could play No. 3 seed Morris in the regional final. Plus Lemont, which is the No. 2 seed in the Nazareth Regional, also is in the sectional. The winner of the sectional stays local as the supersectional will be held at Lincoln-Way West.

In Class 2A, there are four area teams at the Coal City Regional. No. 5 seed Reed-Custer opens with a match Monday against Beecher. The winner plays top-seeded Wilmington on Tuesday, while the first semifinal will pit No. 2 seed Coal City against No. 3 seed Seneca.

Dwight is the No. 4 seed in the Minonk (Fieldcrest) Regional and will play No. 5 seed Fairbury Prairie Central on Monday. In Class 1A, No. 3 seed Gardner-South Wilmington plays Monday at the St. Anne Regional, which feeds into the Gardner-South Wilmington Sectional.

Bolingbrook impresses

Saturday, Bolingbrook reached the title match of the Shepard Invitational. The Raiders lost to the Marist JV 25-7, 25-18 to finish second, but defeated the Mother McAuley JV 25-23, 23-25, 25-22 in the semifinals.

The Raiders have played many teams tough this season. They finally had that signature win Oct. 6 when they knocked off Lockport 25-23, 26-24 at home. That was the first time Lockport coach Julia Hudson lost to Bolingbrook in her 33 years as Porters coach.

“We were aced 10 times and they were the better team out there,” Hudson said. “They played great defense. (Bolingbrook coach) Andrea Bercot has done a really nice job with them.”

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