Weekend Forecast: Previews and predictions

A south suburban battle on Friday and two big non-conference showdowns on Saturday highlight this Weekend Forecast.

Friday, Dec. 14

■ Bloom at Homewood-Flossmoor

That win over Morgan Park last week will do wonders for a junior-dominated Bloom team going forward. Yes, this talented group believed but it never hurts to add some self-validation. But it can’t afford a letdown against a talented H-F team on the road, a team that boasts size and length with the likes of Isaac Stanback and Maurion Scott. An old fashioned south suburban battle.

Hoops Report pick: Bloom 66, Homewood-Flossmoor 60

■ Lincoln Park at Young

Remember what happened last year in this meeting? Lincoln Park stunned Young 96-91. While Terrence Shannon has graduated and Chris Roberts is now at Morgan Park, this is still a talented Lincoln Park team, albeit an unranked one. But Young is too talented with D.J. Steward, Myles Baker and Tyler Beard for a repeat of last year to happen.

Hoops Report pick: Young 70, Lincoln Park 57

■ Loyola at St. Rita

A big one momentum wise as two teams with high expectations in the Chicago Catholic League –– both were ranked in the preseason top 25 –– are trying to get it going. Loyola has looked more like itself lately on the defensive end, holding its last three opponents to 28, 25 and 33 points. St. Rita is just 1-3 in its biggest tests of the season –– a win over Brother Rice but losses to Oak Park, Kenwood and St. Laurence.

Hoops Report pick: Loyola 45, St. Rita 42

■ Geneva at St. Charles East

It’s still December but this one could go a long way in sorting out the new DuKane Conference.

Who knows if unbeaten Geneva will have some rust to shake off. The Vikings will have not played a game since Dec. 1 –– and missed some practice time –– due to the Geneva teachers strike. Maybe this is the time for St. Charles East, led by two-way guard Nate Ortiz and 6-7 Cody Mitchell, to take down the league favorite and make things interesting in the DuKane.

But Geneva, which has yet to play a home game this season, still has the senior duo of point guard Jack McDonald and wing Mitch Mascari.

Hoops Report pick: Geneva 65, St. Charles East 60

Saturday, Dec. 15

■ Benet at DePaul Prep

This East Suburban Catholic-Chicago Catholic League showdown is a dandy. There have been few teams as impressive as DePaul Prep in the opening weeks of the season. But Perry Cowan and the unbeaten Rams will get a big test from ranked Benet and the trio of 6-4 Will Engles, 6-7 Colin Crothers and 6-6 Kendrick Tchoua.

Hoops Report pick: DePaul Prep 63, Benet 58

■ Waukegan at Marian Catholic

A pair of ranked teams meet in what is the game of the weekend featuring two teams from two different geographical areas. A big test for both teams in what should be a down-to-the-wire finish.

Bryant Brown of Waukegan is fresh off a 40-point performance and Jaylin Cunningham has provided a boost for the Bulldogs. But the 70-mile trek from the far north suburbs to the south suburbs, along with the play of Marian Catholic junior guard Ahron Ulis, could be too much. The Spartans in a nail-biter in a game that should live up to the hype.

Hoops Report pick: Marian Catholic 70, Waukegan 68

■ Willowbrook at York

A West Suburban Conference crossover between two teams with a combined record of 13-2 and two completely different styles.

York is off to a sneaky strong start, which includes an overtime win over Benet, behind the perimeter play of Nick Kosich, Erik Cohn and Nate Shockey and the undervalued play of Sam Walsh York knocked down 15 three-pointers in a win over Addison Trail earlier this week. Willowbrook counters with an up-tempo attack led by scoring guards Matas Masys and junior Everett Stubblefield.

Hoops Report pick: York 58, Willowbrook 53

■ Cary-Grove at Crystal Lake Central

With Jacobs struggling and finally falling back to the pack, the Fox Valley Conference is there for the taking. It’s a Saturday afternoon matinee –– and a big one in the Fox Valley Conference. A couple of the better big men in the Chicago area hook up. Bucknell recruit Alex Timmerman leads Crystal Lake Central and up-and-coming 6-8 junior Frank Jakubicek leads Cary-Grove.

Can Cary-Grove’s perimeter play with guards Beau Frericks and Ryan Rice be the difference? While Crystal Lake Central is at home, the Hoops Report thinks Cary-Grove hits a few more perimeter shots and bounces back from its loss to Dundee-Crown to win this toss-up game.

Hoops Report pick: Cary-Grove 59, Crystal Lake Central 57