Previewing and predicting this weekend's top high school basketball games

The IHSA tournament seeds and state brackets highlight and gobble up the headlines this week. But there is still regular-season basketball to be played this weekend, including a couple of big rivalries, a huge conference showdown in the Northern Lake County Conference and the Public League playoffs.

Here is a look ahead to a few of the top games with picks and previews.

Last week’s record: 4-1
Season record: 28-10

No. 12 Evanston (23-5) at No. 20 New Trier (21-7), Friday

Evanston has clinched the Central Suburban League South title, so another date with rival New Trier will get the juices flowing again for coach Mike Ellis’ team just prior to state tournament play.

New Trier, meanwhile, gets another crack at a team that has had its number. The Trevians have yet to beat Evanston in their new gym, which opened in 2023. Since Ellis took over the Evanston program, the Wildkits are 24-10 against their biggest rival.

When these two met last, a 67-59 Evanston win, New Trier was just beginning to learn how to play without point guard and leading scorer Christopher Kirkpatrick. The Trevians have responded of late, winning eight out of their last nine as Kirkpatrick remains saddled with an injury.

New Trier boasts outstanding balance in both their size and scoring. Danny Houlihan, a 6-4 shooter who has signed with High Point, leads New Trier with 16 points a game, but 6-7 freshman Denym Wallace, 6-4 junior Elton Jaegerskog, 6-5 junior Matthew Logue and 6-4 Max Vogel are all capable scorers and offer versatility.

How balanced is Evanston? The Wildkits are stacked with double-figure scorers who all average between 10-13 points, including Dion Lane, Vito Rocca, Timi Ogunsanya, Ben Ojala and Tate Schroeder.

The pick: Evanston 65, New Trier 60

Wauconda (21-7) at Grayslake Central (20-8), Friday

The Northern Lake County Conference comes down to this late-season battle. So let's shine a little light on basketball in this far-reaching area.

Grayslake Central did stumble earlier this week in an upset loss to Grant. Thus, it’s a must-win situation for the Rams as they now sit one game behind Wauconda.

Wauconda overcame a 44-36 deficit with just 2:25 to play to win the first matchup back on Jan. 14, a 47-44 come-from-behind thriller.

Alex Ortega has emerged as one of the top scoring threats in Lake County. He leads a Wauconda team that can really put points on the board. With Ortega putting up 18.6 points and 3.7 assists a game, the Bulldogs have scored 65 or more points in 17 games this season. Ortega and Leo Brinias (10.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) form a solid scoring and distributing combo in the backcourt.

The hope is that both 6-6 Austin Carlsen (14.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg), a real underrated player in the Chicago area, and shooting guard Tony Salemi (16.8 ppg) are back and healthy for Friday’s showdown. Carlsen missed Wauconda’s last game while Salemi has missed six games.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, this is the fifth straight 20-plus win season for coach Brian Centella and Grayslake Central. This year’s group is headed by a trio of seniors on the perimeter: 6-3 Cole Halverson 13 ppg, 5 rpg), Alex Granville (13 ppg, 2.5 apg) and point guard Carson Woods (12 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg).

Can Grayslake Central slow down a Wauconda team that would like to play in the 70s? The good news for Wauconda is the score was low last time but still pulled out the win.

This one will be a fun one that should go down to the wire again.

The pick: Grayslake Central 52, Wauconda 50

No. 13 Fremd (23-2) at Hersey (17-6), Friday

Hersey is out of the MSL West conference race, but it can play the spoiler role in this one while building some momentum for state tournament play. Fremd is all alone atop the league but sits just one game ahead of Palatine.

Fremd won the first matchup 67-63 behind a balanced attack featuring Rafael Pinto (19 pts), Chase Nelson (18 pts), Jordan Williams (16 pts) and Tommy Moffett (15 pts).

Hersey’s Charlie Pomis has put together a heck of a season. The athletic senior wing is putting up 18 points to go with nearly six rebounds and over three assists a game. He scored 20 in the first meeting, while senior teammate Logan Luxen added 16.

These are two teams that appear to be headed in different directions.

After starting the season 11-0, Hersey has gone just 5-6 since. The Huskies are at home and could certainly use a pick-me-up.

Meanwhile, Fremd is on an emotional high following an impressive run of frantic finishes in beating quality competition. In the past two weeks the Vikings have knocked off Palatine, Rolling Meadows, New Trier and Niles North in tight ones, including two of those wins coming in overtime.

The pick: Fremd 62, Hersey 57

Oswego (20-8) at Oswego East (18-9), Friday

Is it the biggest of games in the big picture? No. Neither team is ranked or in conference contention and the seeds have been established. But it’s a rivalry between two teams headed towards 20 wins. Plus, the last one between these two was a dandy.

There is a star attraction in this matchup as well with Oswego East’s Mason Lockett, who is headed to DePaul next year, and Oswego’s Ethan Vahl, one of the top sophomores in the state.

Oswego East’s record is a bit deceiving with the schedule it has faced. The Wolves have squared off with six ranked teams, going 2-4 in those games. The tandem of Lockett and junior D'Shaun Bolden regularly combine for 35-plus points a game.

While the lack of depth can catch up to the Wolves, Oswego has established some depth of its own and balance beyond Vahl’s 21.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game.

The last time these two met back in December, Oswego’s 59-52 win in overtime was considered an upset. After all, it ended an Oswego East win streak over Oswego at 16 straight. But fast-forward one month later and it’s a flip of the coin. That’s how far Oswego has come.

It would be a surprise if this doesn’t turn into another fantastic finish. But Oswego has been playing the better basketball of late.

The pick: Oswego 62, Oswego East 60

Kenwood (16-7) at No. 18 Young (21-6), Saturday

Among the city quarterfinal games this weekend, this figures to be the best — at least on paper.

Kenwood edged Morgan Park and Young escaped with an overtime win over Perspectives-Leadership on Thursday to set up the first meeting between these two this season.

Young has two big things going for it: Marquis Clark and the confidence that’s grown from a 11-game winning streak.

Clark is the city’s best player. The high-scoring guard is headed to Tennessee and has takeover ability. The Dolphins haven’t experienced defeat since late December and have lost just two games to in-state teams — Warren and St. Ignatius.

It’s been a whirlwind of a season for Kenwood with ups and downs. Nonetheless, this is a dangerous team, thanks to the junior tandem of Damari Stephens and Osiris Bell.

The pick: Young 72, Kenwood 68

Joliet West (18-8) at No. 7 Homewood-Flossmoor (23-3), Saturday

Alright, let’s see how much Joliet West has improved?

The Tigers are clearly playing their best basketball of the season. They lost to H-F 58-47 at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament in late December. But they’ve dropped only one game since — to ranked Bolingbrook in overtime.

This will be an ideal measuring stick for Joliet West, which is led by three double-figure scorers: Aamir Shannon (11 ppg, 5 rpg), the much-improved Ryan Lipke (10 ppg, 6 rpg) and Devin Triplett (10 ppg, 5 rpg). Coach Jeremy Kreiger’s team is playing well enough to sneak up on some teams come regional time.

H-F has been a model of consistency as the sparkling record shows. That’s possible when you have a point guard like Darrius Hawkins who impacts winning as much as he does. The sophomore sets the tone while averaging 18 points, six assists and 2.5 steals a game.

Hawkins sets the table for lesser-known but ultra-effective Marvin Douglas (12 ppg, 7 rpg), Danny Ruffin (8.7 ppg, 4.1 apg) and Ethan Jackson (8.7 ppg).

The pick: Homewood-Flossmoor 70, Joliet West 64