Henricksen: IHSA’s revamped road to Peoria in Class 4A

There were some major shakeups in the recently released IHSA state basketball sites for this March. The biggest being in Class 4A.

There will not be a Simeon-Young state championship game rematch in Peoria, and there will not be two Public League teams playing in Peoria in Class 4A. The IHSA made sure of that by shifting the March sectional roads to Peoria and super-sectionals matchups.

• Chicago State Super (Thornton Sectional vs. Riverside-Brookfield Sectional)

Changes: The locations of the regional and sectional sites makes this state tournament road, without question, the state’s toughest. Chicago’s South Side programs, along with the south suburban teams, will no longer be headed to the Normal Super; instead they will be lumped in with Chicago’s West Side and near-west suburban schools. That means all the Chicago Public League 4A powers are on a collision course before Peoria, mixed in with several ranked teams outside the city.

What to expect: An absolutely brutal road to get to Peoria. How about a list of programs funneling in to the Chicago State Super that could include Simeon, Young, Curie, Fenwick, Oak Park, St. Rita, Kenwood, St. Joseph, Marian Catholic, Marist, Brother Rice, Bloom … Alright, you get the point.

Way-too-early Super prediction: Young vs. Simeon

• Hoffman Estates Super (Lake Zurich Sectional vs. Maine East Sectional)

Changes: The north suburban schools will no longer have to make the trek all the way to Chicago State for a super-sectional. (Evanston sure would have liked for this to have been in place last year). They get to stay north and, along with it, avoid a Chicago Public League power in the Super. Waukegan also moves a bit and will be in the Lake Zurich Sectional.

What to expect: Highly-regarded Niles North will host a regional and feed into a Maine East Sectional, where the likes of a New Trier, Loyola, Maine South, Evanston could be waiting. The table is also set for Lake Zurich, which will host its own sectional and face sectional field that’s not exactly loaded. Waukegan-Lake Zurich in the sectional final?

Way-too-early Super prediction: Waukegan vs. Niles North

• DeKalb Super (Jacobs Sectional vs. Glenbard East Sectional)

Changes: A couple of different geographical areas will meet up in a super-sectional this year. Last year Jacobs Sectional winner played the northwest suburban sectional winner (Fremd), while the Glenbard East Sectional winner (Naperville North) played the southwest suburban sectional winner (Bolingbrook).

What to expect: Many of the Upstate Eight River teams, including St. Charles East, St. Charles North and Larkin, will get the Fox Valley Conference’s best and likely Rockford Jefferson in the sectional.

If there is little to no movement in where teams are placed for sectionals, Willowbrook, Naperville North, Hinsdale South, Geneva, Benet, Wheaton South, Batavia and other west suburban schools will duke it out.

Way-too-early Super prediction: Rockford Jefferson vs. Willowbrook

• Normal Super (Pekin Sectional vs. Romeoville Sectional)

Changes: The biggest winner in the new configuration of sectionals and super-sectionals is right here. Last year Edwardsville and Mark Smith won a sectional title and headed to Illinois State’s Redbird Arena to face Simeon. This year Belleville West and E.J. Liddell, the best in southern Illinois, won’t have a Public League power waiting for them.

Instead, the southwest suburbs will head to the Illinois State Super in Normal rather than the Northern Illinois Super in DeKalb.

What to expect: Belleville West is the team to beat and will get challenged by the likes of Danville and the best of the Quad Cities.

Bolingbrook is again one of the favorites to repeat in the other sectional but if sectional field stays the same the host, Romeoville, along with West Aurora and Lincoln-Way East are major threats.

Way-too-early Super prediction: Belleville West vs. Bolingbrook

Follow Joe Henricksen and the City/Suburban Hoops Report on Twitter @joehoopsreport