Big Northern's best takes on a NIC-10 power and other top basketball games to watch
Byron, the Big Northern leader in both boys and girls basketball, was supposed to highlight this week by playing upper echelon NIC-10 teams in both sports. Monday’s boys game at Freeport is currently being rescheduled, but Byron’s girls hosting Boylan on Wednesday is one of the more interesting games of the year.
Here is a look at that game and other top high school basketball games to watch in the Rockford area this week:
BOYS BASKETBALL
Eastland at Pecatonica, Monday
This 9 a.m. semifinal in Pecatonica’s MLK tourney features a pair of likely NUIC champs. Eastland (14-5, 5-0) has won eight games in a row and leads the NUIC South after finishing second the last three years. Pecatonica (13-3, 2-0) is ranked No. 6 in Class 1A and seems headed toward its third consecutive NUIC North title.
More: The Missing Piece: How a volleyball star helped make Pecatonica a state basketball power
“They are a good team,” Pec coach Bobby Heisler said. “A lot of their players are friends with players on our team.”
The same is true of another big game for Pec this week, at home against Durand (14-4) on Tuesday. Monday’s game is also a fund raiser for childhood cancer, in honor of Durand/Pecatonica assistant football coach Kyle Demus and his six-year-old daughter, Emersyn. Her latest scan shows she is cancer free, but in her honor the school will raise money for the cancer foundation at games against Eastland and on Jan. 24 against Byron.
Freeport at Auburn, Friday
Freeport (10-9, 6-3 NIC-10) hasn’t had a winning record in the NIC-10 since it went 10-6 a dozen years ago. One more win will tie its high water mark of the last nine years. One of the Pretzels’ losses was by only two points to Boylan. But the other two were lopsided defeats to the league’s top two teams, by 21 to league leader Guilford and by 37 to Auburn (11-7, 7-2) in their league opener. Playing Auburn the second time around is a bit of a prove-it game for the Pretzels.
More: How Guilford toppled Auburn to open a two-game lead in NIC-10 boys basketball race
“We know Auburn is going to be a tough out for us, but we have gotten better,” Freeport coach Tee Jay Jackson said. “We didn’t give them a great showing in the first game, but we know who we are and will be ready to play. We will play our zone press and see what happens. We know what they do. They know what we do. We’ll see who can do it best.”
Dixon at Rockford Lutheran, Friday
Lutheran (12-7, 2-0) hasn’t lost a Big Northern game in more than four years. League teams play each other only once. Dixon, No. 4-ranked Byron and Rockford Christian, which beat Lutheran in a non-league game, are also unbeaten in the league and have equal or better overall records than Lutheran. There is no room to slip up. Dixon (16-3, 2-0) is the first of three big conference rivals the Crusaders will have to get past in order to win their fifth straight BNC title.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Boylan at Guilford, Tuesday
Boylan (18-2, 10-1) is ranked No. 8 in the state in Class 3A and has won 12 games in a row, including notable wins over Woodstock Marian (17-4), Maple Park Kaneland (14-8) and Class 1A No. 2-ranked Orangeville (21-1). The Titans beat Guilford 39-30 in a defensive slugfest a month ago, but while Boylan lost to NIC-10 leader Hononegah by 13, Guilford (12-9, 7-3) lost by just three both times, including in double overtime at Hono last week. Boylan needs a win to have any realistic chance of catching Hononegah.
More: Hononegah girls find new way to victory as 3-year NIC-10 winning streak hits 46 straight
Boylan at Byron, Wednesday
Byron might be the greatest of all area girls basketball powers, winning Class 2A state titles in 2016 and 2017 and taking second last year. Boylan and Hononegah have ruled the NIC-10 for a decade — this will be the 10th consecutive full season the Titans have won at least 20 games. Byron got off to a slow start, losing to NUIC Class 1A teams Freeport Aquin and River Ridge/Scales Mound, but leads the Big Northern by 1 ½ games, thanks to an overtime win at Dixon (15-5, 3-1). The Tigers also handed Stillman Valley (17-4, 2-1) its only BNC loss. This is Byron’s chance to show it remains a state contender.
Aquin at Orangeville, Friday
No. 2-ranked Orangeville (21-1, 6-0 NUIC North) knocked Aquin (14-4, 3-1) out of the state rankings with a 53-34 win at Aquin in early December. They also beat No. 7 Pecatonica by 19 points last week. The Broncos are rolling, led by Tulsa recruit Whitney Sullivan and star guards Laney Cahoon and Nadalee Doyle. But Aquin has one of the greatest freshmen in area history in guard Paityn London, who struggled against Orangeville the first time. Aquin also has a deep, experienced team around her. And the Bulldogs are heating up. They have won five games in a row, against the likes of Dixon (15-5), Pecatonica (18-3), Eastland (12-8, 6-0 NUIC South) and Lena-Winslow (14-7).
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Here are the top basketball games to watch in Rockford this week
