Ranking Rockford's best boys basketball teams 1 to 10 headed into the IHSA playoffs

The IHSA boys basketball playoffs begin this week. Last year, the Rockford area had a team in the Class 1A state finals (runner-up Scales Mound), plus Elite Eight teams in both Class 4A (Auburn) and 2A (Lutheran, which fell one point short of reaching state).

Rockford seems to have even more state contenders this year. Here is how they stack up in our final boys basketball power rankings of the season:

Byron (25-2)

Current ranking: 1

Preseason ranking: 8

Why: Byron won its first Big Northern title in 12 years but even its undefeated team in 2012 lost its first game at sectional. Byron has never made it to state in boys basketball and its sectional title came when it finished a school-record 29-2. Ryan Tucker averages 22 points and 7 rebounds, Jack Hively 12 points and 6.5 rebounds and Cason Newton 12 points for Byron.

More: Rockford-area boys basketball playoff schedule and results, updated daily

Outlook: Byron played a soft early schedule, but later reeled off four wins in a row against the likes of Freeport, Dixon, Lutheran and Pecatonica. The No. 7 Tigers are the only ranked team in their sectional. The other highest-seeded teams in the entire sectional are either other BNC teams (Rock Falls, Rockford Christian, Rockford Lutheran) or a Seneca team Lutheran beat by 33 points. “We’ve been able to play multiple ways defensively, whether its pressing or playing zone or man,” Byron coach Matt Huels said. “Multiple kids have been able to carry us for stretches when teams have taken Ryan away. We are going to have to continue to play our style of basketball — fast and organized — against teams that play different zones against us.”

Pecatonica (26-5)

Current ranking: 2

Preseason ranking: 1

Why: Pecatonica has set school records for wins (27 and 30) and won regionals the two previous years, after winning one regional in the previous 24 years. Pec is a veteran team led by a standout backcourt of Cooper Hoffman (18.4 points on 57-percent shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists) and Mason Peterson (12.9 points, 105 3-pointers). Two years ago, Pec lost by only three at sectional to state third-place finisher Scales Mound and has beaten Scales Mound twice this year.

More: Winning is all in the family at No. 3 Pecatonica: 'Everyone has a piece of this team'

Outlook: Pec hosts its own regional and is seeded to meet Galena, a team it beat by 15 points earlier, in the finals. No. 3 Pec is the only state-ranked team in its sectional, where the other top teams are Scales Mound, South Beloit, Eastland and Annawan (22-8). “We’re still not playing our best basketball yet, which can be both a blessing and a curse,” Pec coach Bobby Heisler said. “Defensively, we’re allowing a bit too much. Most of these kids have won two regional championships. I am looking forward to seeing what mark this group might make.”

Guilford (25-4)

Current ranking: 3

Preseason ranking: 5

Why: Guilford not only won the NIC-10 for only the third time in 45 years, it went unbeaten in the league for the first time. Malachi Johnson, Jaden Webster and Cinco Gary give the Vikings three balanced stars, plus they are backed up with by far the most depth of any NIC-10 team.

Outlook: Guilford heads into the playoffs on a 14-game win streak. It will probably have to beat Huntley (20-10) in the regional final at East. Guilford wouldn’t meet No. 8 Gurnee Warren, the only state-ranked team in the sectional, until the sectional finals. DeKalb (22-7) and McHenry (23-9) are the top two seeds in the other sub-sectional. "We have been doing a great job of playing unselfish basketball the last month and a half," coach Chris Dixon said. "We need to stick to our game plan of wearing down other teams. That all comes from our unselfish play and sharing the basketball."

More: Top 6 reasons why Rockford area could have its first state basketball champ in 68 years

Scales Mound (23-8)

Current ranking: 4

Preseason ranking: 2

Why: Scales Mound has finished third and then second in the state the last two years and brought back its best player, All-State guard Thomas Herreau.

Outlook: The Hornets have lost twice to Pecatonica, by 16 and 12 points, but don’t bet against this tiny school (enrollment 80). South Beloit (22-7) and 6-8 junior center Ross Robertson will be a huge hurdle in the regional finals, but the Hornets know how to win close games. The senior class is 104-21 in their career.

Belvidere North (20-11)

Current ranking: 5

Preseason ranking: Unranked

Why: Belvidere North has won 20 games for the first time in school history. The Blue Thunder also earned a No. 1 postseason seed for the first time and will host their own Class 3A regional. Adam Brown and Braeden Brown average 14 points for North and Logan Koeller leads with eight rebounds.

Outlook: Belvidere North went only 10-8 in a down year in the NIC-10 and lost four of its last five games before finishing with a 39-38 squeaker over ninth-place East (6-24). On the other hand, the second-highest seed in North’s regional is 12-18 Sycamore. If North reaches the sectional, it would probably run into Maple Park Kaneland (23-5) and Crystal Lake South (27-3). “We’re as healthy as we have been all year,” coach Todd Brannan said. “We just have to play consistent basketball in all apsects. We always place a big emphasis on rebounding and taking care of the basketball. Those two things are critical for us.”

Rockford Christian (20-7)

Current ranking: 6

Preseason ranking: 3

Why: Junior guards Christian Cummings (23.8) and Elijah Daugherty (21.6) and JT Samuels (13), a mid-season transfer who used to play for East, combine to average 58 points. A year ago, Rockford Christian went into the playoffs 28-2 but was upset in the 2A regional final. This time, the Royal Lions will probably have to play Lutheran in the regional.

Outlook: Rockford Christian is 3-3 in its last six games, with losses to Dixon, Rock Falls and Pecatonica by 18, 23 and 15 points. It did beat Lutheran for the second time in season finale, but even that 97-89 score showed its defensive shortcomings. “We are going to have to play solid defense,” coach Isaiah Johnson said. “People look at how many points we can put up, but we have struggled when we have not played good defense. We can’t let teams get a ton of offensive rebounds against us. We have to play tough defense and make sure teams only get one shot.”

Rockford Lutheran (19-12)

Current ranking: 7

Preseason ranking: 7

Why: Lutheran heads into the 2A playoffs on a three-game losing streak, but has won a sectional title each of the last two years. Vontez Dent, a 6-4 senior guard, is one of the best players in the area, but the only current player to play a big role the two previous years. He averages 23.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and shoots 51 percent.

Outlook: Lutheran heads into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak and is in the same regional as Rockford Christian, a team it has already lost to twice. Still, the Crusaders could be a threat. “If we win the rebound battle, we do really well,” coach Tom Guse said. “We need to help Vontez on the boards. We also need people to chip in, four, six or eight points. We don’t need them to do anything crazy or what they are not used to doing, but we need them to help out and give us some balance.”

Eastland (22-9)

Current ranking: 8

Preseason ranking: 6

Why: Eastland tied Fulton for the NUIC South title. Adam Awender, a 5-10 junior, and 6-3 sophomore Parker Krogman each average 14 points. Eastland hasn’t played as tough a schedule as the other 1A teams on this list, but did lose to Lutheran by only four points, Pecatonica by five and beat a Hononegah team that was 8-10 in the NIC-10 as well as a 22-point beat down of Rockford Christian.

Outlook: Eastland is the top seed in the Forreston regional and will likely play a Sterling Newman team it edged 40-36 in the second game of the season. “We’ve got to play our defense and take teams out of what they want to do,” coach Tyler Zumdahl said. “And offensively, we’ve got to create not only for ourselves, but for others.”

Auburn (19-11)

Current ranking: 9

Preseason ranking: 4

Why: Auburn returned arguably its top two players from a team that reached the 4A supersectional last year and played a very tough schedule, taking on teams from Memphis, Texas and Oklahoma. On the other hand, Amir Danforth (17.2) and Rakim Chaney (16.3) are the only Knights who average more than 7.2 points and 6-4 senior Keon Leach (6.0 points, 3.9 rebounds) is now out with a hernia.

Outlook: Auburn has to get past DeKalb (22-7) on the Barbs’ home floor just to get out of regional. Auburn lost there by nine a month ago, the last of four straight losses. But Auburn is 8-1 since then and a long-time playoff threat.  “We have a team that is capable of making a run into sectionals and beyond,” coach Bryan Ott said. “We have played the most difficult schedule of anybody according to the MaxPreps computer ratings, but it doesn’t matter how strong your schedule is if you don’t play up to your capabilities when it counts the most.”

Freeport (19-12)

Current ranking: 10

Preseason ranking: unranked

Why: Freeport had its best conference record (14-4) in 18 years and won 14 NIC-10 games for only the second time in 35 years. Senior Dedric Macon (15.8 points) leads a young team that heads into the playoffs on a six-game winning streak.

Outlook: Freeport faces a tricky playoff opener at tradition power Boylan (12-18 in a down year), which split with the Pretzels during the season. Freeport is seeded to win its first regional in 14 years, ahead of Woodstock (20-10), which has won its last seven games in a row. “It’s exciting for the school and the whole basketball program,” coach Tee Jay Jackson said. “We had goals for our team and so far we are checking them all off our list and trying to keep moving forward. We have to play good defense, take care of the ball and get to the rim, not just settling for jump shots.”

Honorable mention: South Beloit (22-7) was No. 7 in our preseason rankings and has won back-to-back regional titles behind 6-8 sophomore Ross Robertson, but is in a tough regional along with Scales Mound.

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: Rockford's boys basketball power ranking headed into the IHSA playoffs