Henricksen: Time for 3A and 4A state picks

And all of a sudden it’s here!

The end of a high school basketball season –– or at least the most important part of the season –– always seems to come in a flash, especially for all those seniors and their families who realize, going forward, it’s now win or go home.

This past weekend as I was texting with a father of one of the top senior players in the state, one of my replies in the conversation was, “Should be a lot of fun,” in reference to a potential upcoming state tournament run for his son and his team.

“Until it isn’t …” was the reply, which is the honest truth.

Those teams who came so close last year to reaching Peoria, those teams and players that worked so hard in the offseason, those teams and players that came into this season with high expectations and visions of playing deep into March, those teams and players who are 25-1 or 27-1 or 26-0 or any 20-plus win team, now know that all that work, all that fun, the thrill of it all, can end just like that. It’s a sobering thought.

But it all begins tonight with regional play across the state. Very few will enjoy the full three-week ride.

The City/Suburban Hoops Report’s comprehensive Class 4A sectional previews and picks can be found HERE and six March storylines to follow can be read HERE.

Now for the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s Class 3A and 4A state picks.

CLASS 4A

Class 4A sectional champs: Young, Evanston, Conant, Jacobs, Bolingbrook, Benet, Edwardsville and Simeon.

Class 4A State Semifinal Picks

Evanston over Conant

Edwardsville over Bolingbrook

State Championship pick

Edwardsville over Evanston

CLASS 3A

Class 3A sectional champs: North Chicago, Fenwick, Richmond-Burton, Bloomington, Morgan Park, Hillcrest, Carbondale and Springfield Lanphier.

Class 3A State Semifinal Picks

Fenwick over Bloomington