Hoops: These Boys are Flying High

1. Benet Academy (25-0): The game Illinois basketball fans have awaited for all season is finally here, the Redwings’ showdown with No. 1 Simeon Saturday at the UIC Pavilion. Simeon was knocking on the door of a No. 1 national ranking, but was knocked off by Whitney Young this week. Could a Benet win make it the state’s No. 1 team?

2. Downers Grove South (21-3): A 10-day layoff didn’t slow down the Mustangs against Leyden. Friday features a chance for DGS to wrap up the West Suburban Gold as the Mustangs host a tough Proviso East team. DGS beat the Pirates by 12 in January.

3. East Aurora (17-5): The Tomcats rebounded from three straight losses with three straight wins, including Neuqua Valley and cross-town rival West Aurora. They clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight Valley, their first conference crown in a decade. Oh, and don’t look now, but Snoop Viser has found his shot.

4. Neuqua Valley (20-5): The Wildcats fell to East Aurora for the second time this season, but have a chance to get back on track with a busy weekend against South Elgin followed by a trip to Quincy Saturday.

5. Plainfield South (17-6): Finally, somebody has taken command in the Southwest Prairie. It’s the Cougars, winners of five straight overall, who are 9-2 in league play. The game at Oswego on Feb. 24 may decide the conference champion.

Next best (in alphabetical order): Hinsdale South (15-9), Oswego (16-7), Plainfield Central (17-7), Waubonsie Valley (15-9), West Aurora (13-9).

(Covering the following Patch communities: Bolingbrook, Channahon-Minooka, Darien, Lemont, Montgomery, Naperville, Oswego, Plainfield, Romeoville, Shorewood, Woodridge, Yorkville and the neighboring private schools that draw students from those communities).