The annual When Sides Collide at Benet this Saturday will bring six of the top nine ranked teams together. That should heat up the weekend and, possibly, shake things up at the top.
Here is a look at the weekend’s top games and predictions.
Season record: 16-3
No. 2 DePaul Prep (18-3) at No. 15 Mount Carmel (15-6), Thursday
Big, big weekend for DePaul, facing the Caravan in a big Catholic League battle before playing Marist in Saturday’s When Sides Collide.
The young Caravan were brimming with confidence since the holidays, taking down Loyola on the road and holding off St. Laurence last week in overtime. But H-F brought them back to earth on Monday in a 17-point loss.
With seasoned seniors Rashaun Porter, Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers, DePaul’s experience will be enough against the upstart Caravan.
The pick: DePaul 55, Mount Carmel 46
No. 8 Bolingbrook (13-5) vs. No. 9 Neuqua Valley (19-1) at Benet, Saturday
At first glance, this is a showdown featuring the two best sophomore talents in the state: Bolingbrook’s Brady Pettigrew and Neuqua’s Cole Kelly. They are both high-major college talents and nationally-ranked players.
But it’s also a battle of two teams ranked in the top 10.
Neuqua Valley has been rolling. The biggest test of the season came last weekend and Neuqua rolled Normal (17-3) 96-74. The Wildcats have reeled off 17 straight wins and feature the headline-grabbing tandem of Kelly and junior Mason Martin. They combine to put up 40 points a night between them and can instantly change a game with their three-point shooting.
Kelly has evolved into a complete, all-around talent whose passing is way overlooked. Martin, who committed to Illinois last week, is an absolute three-point marksman as he’s already made 70 threes on the year. But the supporting cast of Carter Coviello, Danny Mikuta and Lucas Balgro, has been coming along nicely.
Pettigrew carries a large load for the Raiders, putting up 19 points a game and filling the stat sheet in other areas as well. Athletic guard TJ Williams (16 ppg) has been coming on while Elijah Anderson adds eight points a game.
But Bolingbrook is badly missing all that the injured Trey Brost (11 ppg) brings to the table. That’s one less defensive stalwart the Raiders can throw at Neuqua’s potent duo, and it’s a significant difference.
The pick: Bolingbrook 70, Neuqua Valley 66
No. 7 Marist (19-2) vs. No. 2 DePaul Prep (18-3) at Benet, Saturday
This is a big stage and moment for Marist, fresh off a rivalry win over Brother Rice on Tuesday. With depth and versatility, size and length — and very balanced — the RedHawks are as talented as any team in the state. Coach Brian Hynes’ team has yet to lose to an in-state opponent.
But the résumé, which does include quality wins over Centralia, Evanston and Waukegan, is still in the process of being built with a couple of monster games — vs. No. 2 DePaul this weekend and No. 1 Benet at the end of the regular season — still coming.
Even in his leading role, Charles Barnes has blended in nicely since his arrival. He leads the RedHawks with 17 points a game. Unheralded Adoni Vassilakis, a steady influence at point guard, adds 10 points a game, while emerging 6-5 junior Kendall Meyers chips in another eight.
DePaul is a different animal with its winning culture, led by Rashaun Porter. The 6-7 big man is a remarkable defender who blends instincts and physicality with intelligence and will.
Can Marist match the toughness and physicality of the Rams? DePaul has three productive seniors to lean on in Porter, who is a Toledo recruit, Brown-bound Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers, who will be headed to Division II Michigan Tech. But some help from the supporting cast would be welcomed.
The pick: Marist 58, DePaul Prep 56
No. 1 Benet (21-1) vs. No. 6 Warren (16-1) at Benet, Saturday
These two last met in the Class 4A state championship in Champaign last March, a game that went down to the wire with Benet winning 55-54. They could very well meet again in a high-stakes matchup this March.
But there is no need to wait that long for the rematch. We’ll take this marquee matchup, which features what is right now the state’s best team, Benet, and the state’s best player, Warren’s Jaxson Davis.
Neither team has lost in quite some time with the last defeats coming back in November for Benet and early December for Warren.
Benet continues to play and look like a top-ranked team. Aside from a nine-point win over DePaul, Benet has beaten its last 12 opponents by double digits and an average victory margin of 27 points a game.
It starts defensively. With the size of 7-1 Colin Stack and the defensive versatility and physicality of 6-8 Ed Stasys, Benet has kept 19 of its opponents at 45 points or less, including 13 who haven’t even cracked 40 points.
Offensively, the Redwings remain difficult to defend. They remain incredibly balanced as this is a No. 1 ranked team where the leading scorer is averaging 11.6 points a game. Jayden Wright (11.6 ppg), Stack (10.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Stasys (10.1 ppg) lead the way, but Ethan MacDermot, Perry Tchiegne, Aidan Renicker and Ryan Walsh all find ways to contribute.
Benet's balance even extends to its shooting. Wright, Stack, MacDermot, Renicker and Walsh are all shooting over 40 percent from the three-point line.
Davis is the biggest individual attraction in the sport right now and fuels Warren. While Davis is a one-man wrecking crew, averaging 26 points a game while still making those around him better, the supporting cast has gotten better and better as the season has progressed.
Strong, athletic senior guard Braylon Walker is a heck of a running mate, averaging 13.2 points a game, while Joel Paasch chips in nearly 10 points a game. The Blue Devils have missed Avonn King (9.4 ppg) since the holidays and his return remains up in the air, but he is getting close to returning.
The pick: Benet 66, Warren 60
Peoria Richwoods (17-3) at No. 10 Evanston (17-3), Saturday
A reunion of sorts as Evanston coach Mike Ellis will host Richwoods, a program he led — and had great success with — for six years. Ellis guided Richwoods to three sectional titles and a pair of state runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2010.
Richwoods features one of the top sophomores in the state in point guard Amarion Smith-Holley and has played a bevy of Chicago area programs. The Knights are 6-0 against Chicago area teams, including impressive wins over Mount Carmel, St. Laurence and Kenwood.
The Wildkits are one of the more explosive offensive teams in the area. And they're hot with seven straight wins since falling to Marist at the Centralia Holiday Tournament.
The pick: Evanston 62, Richwoods 58
No. 17 Loyola (17-5) at No. 5 St. Ignatius (19-2), Sunday
The Jesuit Cup rivalry always brings a charged-up atmosphere. This one is no different as both are ranked.
The storyline, however, is the recent dominance of Loyola in this fun rivalry. While St. Ignatius has enjoyed unprecedented program success in recent years, Loyola has won eight of the last nine Jesuit Cup matchups and 11 of the last 12 overall.
Loyola is led by senior guard Trey Williams (11.1 ppg). Junior Luke Alvarez (10.5 ppg) has made his presence felt as well.
Coach Tom Livatino’s group must bounce back emotionally after Tuesday’s stinging, buzzer-beating loss to local rival Evanston.
St. Ignatius, which hasn’t lost in a month, is potent offensively with a handful of weapons in Chris Bolte, Amir Tucker, Nico Harris, DJ Caldwell and Duke Ross. But it’s Bolte who is the heart and soul and backbone of this team.
The pick: St. Ignatius 45, Loyola 42
