Boys basketball Regionals preview: Top-seeded Ironmen face Minooka; Wildcats take on Rock Island

Jeffery Woodard, Senior Staff Reporter • Feb 20, 2024

The top-seeded Ironmen boys basketball team (26-5) aims for a fourth consecutive Regional title when they host eight-seed Minooka on Wed. Feb 21.

The Indians’ 12-19 record might be misleading; after opening the season 3-13, the Indians have gone nine and six down the stretch under first-year head coach Brett Hespell.

The Indians are coming off a run that saw the team play eight games in a 15 day stretch, finishing 4-4. Those losses, all to teams with 17-plus wins on the season, include two overtime road defeats and a home loss as Andrew High School hit a game-winner with 4.8 ticks on the clock.

Minooka is led by 6-foot-4 sophomore Zane Caves. Caves posted 11 points, shooting 50% from the field and recorded five rebounds in the for the Indians’ in last week’s 34-27 loss to West Aurora.

But the three-sport athlete, who is averaging over 10 points a game, can’t do it all for the Indians.

Against West Aurora, Minooka struggled to score, going nine for 25 as a team in the paint, and couldn’t convert at the line, making just one of eight attempts from the charity stripe.

The winner of Wednesday’s matchup takes on the victor of the Rock Island/Normal West contest.

The seven-seed Wildcats enter Regional play with an 11-19 record, looking to upset the four-seed Rocks (23-9).

The Wildcats will look to point guard Nate Moore to lead the charge.

Moore demonstrated poise under pressure and the ability to make big plays in big moments when the senior helped West squeeze out a two-point victory over the Washington Panthers in the Midwest Crossroads Shootout with a game-winning layup for two of his 18 points in the contest.

The Wildcats must find a way to contain the leading Western Big 6 scorer, Rock Island’s K.J. Lamonte.

The senior averages 18.5 points per game, and surpassed 1,000 career points in the State Farm Holiday Classic.

Community tips off against the Indians on Feb. 21 at home at 6 p.m., with the West/Rock Island matchup following at 7:30.

The Inkspot will be broadcasting both games at NCHSinkspot.com/live.

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About the Contributor

Jeffery Woodard, Senior Staff Reporter

Jeffery Woodard is a senior at Normal Community High School and is involved in track & field. This is his third year working with the Inkspot, and he is a senior staff reporter. On the weekends, I enjoy hanging out with friends and going to the gym. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies of all sorts. My favorite film is "Black Panther."