Boys Basketball Regionals Central: Lincoln-Way Teams Lose; Seasons Over for New Lenox Boys

It’s that time of year when every game, and every play, matters for basketball. The regionals are upon us, and as the playoffs get under way we want to make sure you’ve got all the information you need to go cheer on the three New Lenox high schools.

and are both in Class 4A and start in the same regional; is in Class 3A. See below for schedules, matchups and analysis.

The boys playoffs start Monday, Feb. 28. All three girls basketball teams in New Lenox were knocked out in regional play, but if you want our recap of their games, see our .

Regional Schedule: Games played at the Class 4A Stagg Regional, 8015 W. 111th St., Palos Hills

• Mon., Feb. 28
  • Game 1 at 6 p.m.: 13. Lincoln-Way Central defeats 20. Joliet Central, 45-30. Center Brad Foster led the Knights with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Get the full recap .
  • Game 2 at 8:10 pm: 12. Andrew defeats 21. Thornridge, 49-42. 

• Tue., March 1
  • Game 3 at 6 p.m.: 4. Lockport Township defeats 13. Lincoln-Way Central, 45-22. Brad Foster led the Knights with 12 points. Get a full recap of the game .
    
  • Game 4 at 8:10 pm: 6. Stagg vs. 12. Andrew

• Fri., March 4

• Game 5 at 7:30 pm: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Analysis

The Knights took care of business in the first round, but the tough road continues as they'll have a third game against Lockport this season. They lost both the previous contests, going down and 44-34 at Lockport. Another lopsided battle against Lockport ended the Knights' season. Also, regional host Stagg is No. 2 in our power rankings and 18-5 as of Feb. 20.

Road to Sectionals

The winner of the Stagg Regional advances to the Thornwood Sectional. The other regionals feeding into that sectional are Crete-Monee, Lincoln-Way North and Plainfield Central. Go to the Illinois High School Association website for a full list of teams and their playoff matchups, as well as the Class 4A bracket.

Regional Schedule: Games played at the Class 4A Crete-Monee Regional, 1515 W. Exchange St. in Crete.

• Mon., Feb. 28
  • Game 1 at 6 p.m.: 15. Eisenhower defeats 17. Providence Catholic, 66-64. According the the IHSA website, Providence led 42-30 at the half but Eisenhower drained two free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
  • Game 2 at 8:10 pm: 10. Plainfield South defeats 23. Thornton Fractional South, 60-59.
• Tue., March 1
  • Game 3 at 6:00 pm: 2. Crete-Monee vs. 15. Eisenhower
  • Game 4 at 8:10 pm: 5. Bloom Township vs. 10. Plainfield South
• Fri., March 4
  • Game 5 at 7:30 pm: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Analysis

Providence Catholic had been mediocre for much of the season and faced a challenge in the first round against Eisenhower. Despite leading by 12 at the break, the Celtics couldn't hold on and their season is over.

Road to Sectionals

The winner of the Crete-Monee Regional advances to the Thornwood Sectional. The other regionals feeding into that sectional are Lincoln-Way North, Plainfield and Stagg. Go to the IHSA website for a full list of teams and their playoff matchups, as well as the Class 4A bracket.

Regional Schedule: Games played in the Class 3A Hillcrest Regional, 17401 Crawford Ave., Country Club Hills

• Mon., Feb. 28
  • Game 1 at 6 p.m.: 15. Lincoln-Way West defeats 19. Bremen, 72-65. According to IHSA, Robert Hubbard led the Warriors with 18 points.
  • Game 2 at 8:10 pm: 10. Corliss defeats 22. Washington, 83-30.
• Tue., March 1
  • Game 3 at 6 p.m.: 3. Hillcrest defeats 15. Lincoln-Way West, 85-40. TJ Dikos led the Warriors with 20 points—half the team's total—but it wasn't nearly enough as the season came to an end.
    
  • Game 4 at 8:10 pm: 6. Rich South vs. 10. Corliss
• Fri., March 4
• Game 5 at 7:30 pm: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Analysis

The Warriors didn't play any of the teams in its regional this season, but have struggled throughout the year. After a horrible offensive start to the season, West has shown signs of improvement, even if it hasn't shown much in the wins column.

The team got past a poor Bremen team in the first round but needed to play a near perfect game to beat Hillcrest, which was 18-4 as of Feb. 20 and ranked in the Top 20 in the Chicagoland area by both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Road to Sectionals

The winner of the Hillcrest Regional advances to the Rich South Sectional. The other regionals feeding into that sectional are Lemont, Rich East and Thornton Fractional North. Go to the IHSA website for a full list of teams and their playoff matchups, as well as the Class 3A bracket.