Boys Basketball: Benet, Neuqua earn No. 2-3 sectional seeds

Veteran Pat McInerney (right) has helped Benet to a 21-4 record going into this week's action and a No. 2 seed in the Bolingbrook Sectional. | Jon Cunningham~For Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 14, 2013 6:16AM

Given their strengths coming into the IHSA releasing pairings for Class 4A last week, it was no surprise Benet and Neuqua Valley were handed the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional.

With that placement, the Naperville area owns two of the top three seeds in a sectional for the first time since 2008-09, when Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central headlined the Oswego East Sectional.

Benet enters this week’s play against Wheaton Academy and Marist at 21-4 overall while playing one of the most arduous schedules in the state.

The Bolingbrook Sectional’s top-seeded team is Oswego, while the No. 4 seed is West Aurora, which lost to Benet 62-50 on Feb. 2.

Hosting one of the four regionals, along with Batavia, Oswego East and Wheaton Warrenville South, Benet will open its postseason play at home on Feb. 26 opposite either No. 15 Plainfield North or No. 18 Downers Grove North.

“Not at all surprised. We had our opportunities. We had opportunities to win a few more games and we weren’t able to do it, so I don’t worry as much about the seeds,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “I guess it’s important but really what’s more important is how you’re playing at the time of the tournament. From our past experience, we won the sectional as a three seed and we didn’t win it as a one seed.”

The Redwings could get a third meeting with Naperville Central, with which it has split its previous two meetings, or possibly a second game with Naperville North on March 1.

Neuqua Valley is sitting at 23-2 clinching the Upstate Eight Valley title with a win on Saturday against South Elgin.

Provided his third-seeded Wildcats win their postseason opener on Feb. 26 against 14th-seeded Oswego East or No. 19 Hinsdale South, a third meeting with one of its fellow District 204 schools, sixth-seeded Waubonsie Valley or 11th-seeded Metea Valley (15-8), would be awaiting come March 1, with a regional title at stake.

Neuqua Valley swept Waubonsie Valley in the regular season, while Metea Valley handed the Wildcats their first loss, 55-49 on Jan. 12.

“We are very excited to be part of this regional. It is like a conference tournament. It can’t get better than this,” Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said in an e-mail. “Any of the three District 204 schools could win the sectional. Not bad at all.”

Handed the No. 7 seed, Naperville Central (15-8) faces the prospect of a second-round meeting with a DuPage Valley Conference foe for the third time in four years, provided 10th-seeded Naperville North (17-7) beats Romeoville on Feb. 25.

After his team dispatched Glenbard North on Friday, Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer admitted that he wasn’t necessarily pleased with where his team was seeded.

“It’s happened before to us, even back when Drew (Crawford) was a senior (in 2008-09). We had to beat West Aurora three times to win a regional,” said Kramer, whose team potentially faces third games against Naperville North and Benet in the regional. “So it’s the same situation. We beat (Benet). (Benet) beat us. Naperville North, we beat them the first time, depending on what happens this Saturday. But it’s (tough). We thought we were gonna get the six seed. We were pretty sure.”

Naperville North fell right within the range its coach, Jeff Powers, thought it would.

“I think, overall, it’s just a really, really tough regional for everybody,” Powers said. “But I don’t know if this was the perfect draw for us or not.”

That week of regional play around Naperville looks to be very interesting and very exciting at the same time.

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