Top 6 reasons why Rockford area could have its first state basketball champ in 68 years
This could be the year.
It’s never been THE year for a NIC-10, Big Northern or NUIC boys basketball team since Rockford West won state back-to-back years in 1955 and 1956. And West hasn’t been a high school in over 30 years.
The only teams from Rockford’s five local high school conferences (including three divisions of the NUIC) to even reach the state title game since then are runners-up Guilford in 1993, Mount Carroll in 2003, Winnebago in 2004, 2005 and 2018 and Scales Mound last year. Rock Falls did win a Class A title in 1999, but that was long before the Rockets joined the Big Northern.
But this year there are two strong contenders, both in Class 1A. Here are the top 6 reasons why No. 2-ranked Pecatonica and No. 5 Scales Mound are serious state title contenders this season:
More: 3-time NUIC West champs battle 2-time defending NUIC North boys basketball champs
Experience
Scales Mound was a surprise last year. Few expected the Hornets to go so far after they graduated their entire starting five, players who had all been four-year varsity players. But this year, both teams are a little like the 36-3 Scales Mound team of the year before.
Both teams are loaded with experienced players who are used to winning big. Scales Mound returns three starters from a team that has won three consecutive NUIC West titles. Pecatonica graduated NUIC North Player of the Year Korbin Gann, but returns three first- or second-team all-conference players from a team that has won the last two NUIC North titles.
The last three years (80-10) have been the three best teams in Scales Mound history, assuming this year’s team keeps winning at its current 11-1 clip. The same is true for Pecatonica (63-13), which is 6-0 this year after setting school records the previous two years at 27-8 and 30-5.
More: South Beloit basketball again shows promise, and how far it has to go, in Scales Mound loss
Star power
Scales Mound returns first-team All-State senior guard Thomas Hereau. Pecatonica is led by junior guard Cooper Hoffman, an honorable-mention All-State quarterback who is just as good in basketball. Both are versatile guards who star both inside and outside.
Hoffman is averaging 19.7 points 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists and shooting 62 percent from the floor. Hereau averaged 16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists as a junior.
Team-oriented stars
Neither team funnels their offense through their All-State caliber guards. Or if they do, they act as facilitators, not necessarily finishers. Hoffman averages 12 shots a game, but Pec has a total of six players who have shot at least half as much as he has. In a narrow win over South Beloit, Herea scored a team-high 17 points but had only four until the fourth quarter, when his team found him open in the corner for three straight 3-pointers.
“We like to find our teammates,” Hereau said. “Coach always tells us, ‘make the open pass.’ That’s what we focus on.”
“Their style of play,” Pecatonica coach Bobby Heisler said of Hereau and Hoffman, “is contagious on their teams. That’s why you see both teams so unselfish with the basketball and different guys leading the team in scoring each night.”
More: Winning is all in the family at No. 3 Pecatonica: 'Everyone has a piece of this team'
Balanced outside shooting
Pecatonica is averaging more than eight 3-pointers per game. Eight different players have at least one 3 and Pec is shooting 38 percent on 3s as a team.
“That’s one of our strengths,” Hoffman said. “Almost everybody on our team, they can come in and step out and knock a 3 down. That helps me. I can drive and have a shooter I am confident in passing to to knock it down.”
Four of Scales Mound’s five starters are also trusted 3-point shooters. Nine different Hornets have combined to make 77 3-pointers in 12 games. That opens up lanes for their guard-heavy lineup to drive to the basket. Both teams do that well.
“Pecatonica has three to four excellent guards who command the 3-point line, take people off the dribble, make that extra pass and open up the court,” Scales Mound coach Erik Kudronowics said. “We do the same with Hereau and (Evan) Cogan and (Derrick) Distler and (Max) Wienen. Both teams have that opportunity because of the guard play.”
Versatile guards
Both teams are loaded with guards who are just as comfortable driving to the basket as they are shooting 3s.
“They are very similar to us, all guards,” Scales Mound senior Evan Cogan said after the Hornets lost 70-54 to Pecatonica in early December. “We don’t have a big 7-foot guy playing against us. We’ve got to match up against our guy. We know they can take us to the rim. We can take them to the rim. We need to be as athletic as we can be.”
They don’t beat themselves
Scales Mound, so far, is better at this than Pecatonica.
“They are tough with the lead,” South Beloit coach Matt Stucky said of the Hornets. “They’ve got good free throw shooters and they handle the ball well and don’t turn it over.”
Pecatonica so far is shooting only 68 percent from the line and averages 13 turnovers, including 17 in the win over Scales Mound.
“We have to improve on taking care of the basketball,” Pecatonica coach Bobby Heisler said. “Even at Scales Mound, we turned it over 17 times. That’s way too many. To make a (postseason) run, we have to get much better in that area. We shoot for a target of 10 per game. The one we’re trying to cut back on the most is passing turnovers. Those lead to transition attempts by the other team.
“That’s extremely important. When Scales Mound made their run the last two years, they took care of the ball, they took good shots, rebounded well and defended at a high level. If you can do those four, you can have success.”
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: Why these 2 could win 1st Rockford state basketball title in 68 years
