How far can the Riverside Brookfield boys basketball team go in the playoffs?
That’s the prevailing question which starts to get answered tonight at 7:30 p.m. as the Bulldogs take on host Nazareth Academy in a Class 3A regional semifinal match-up.
Entering tonight’s tilt against the area rival Roadrunners, RB (16-9) has plenty of reasons for postseason optimism.
First, there is the splendid bench work of coach Tom McCloskey, who has guided his last nine teams to conference titles-including seven in a row at RB-and also Chris Parrish (19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds per game), the school’s new all-time leading scorer, who tallied 20 points during a 73-62 loss at Brother Rice last week to overtake previous title-holder Randy Ramsey (1,532 points).
RB also boasts sharp-shooting scorers in Dan Oswald (13.1 ppg), Billy Vandemerkt (9.7) and Sean McGonagill (9.4) along with interior defense and rebounding from the Kilcoyne bothers, Shane and Anthony.
Of course, the daunting flipside in the way of the Bulldogs’ goals is a stacked sectional that features top-seed and Chicago Public League champion Marshall (23-4), led by Oregon-bound Ryan Hare and Darius Smith, as well as No. 2 seed and East Suburban Catholic Conference champ St. Joseph (20-6, 11-2). Veteran coach Gene Pingnatore, who surpassed 800-career wins this season, has guided the perennially postseason-ready Chargers to a pair of IHSA supersectional appearances over the last five years.
Third-ranked Crane, a potential regional championship opponent for RB, along with Aurora Central and Glenbard South, the four and five seeds respectively, are slotted ahead of the Bulldogs in the rugged sectional bracket.
“Obviously, it’s a tough sectional with a lot of strong teams,” McCloskey said. “We changed to a four-class system this season, but there is not much of a difference [from last year] in that you have challenging games right away.”
For now, the Bulldogs’ focus is solely on Nazareth. The Roadrunners, who started the season by winning eight of their first 10 games, have cooled off in the second half of the season. Despite their slide, Mike Garabedian, Dominic Rocco, Jake Fuller and Curtis Cannon lead a dangerous squad coached by John Bonk.
“Nazareth has had a very good year,” McCloskey added. “They are well coached and run a great motion offense. It’s going to be a very intense game and we will need to handle their pressure.”
If RB knocks off the Roadrunners, a Nazareth Regional title game awaits on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. likely against Crane.
In the broader Class 3A playoff picture, Decatur Eisenhower, Washington (downstate school), Marshall and defending state champion Simeon are sectional favorites to advance downstate.
The Bulldogs, who won the Metro Suburban Conference with a 7-2 league mark, dropped their regular season finale at Brother Rice. Along with Parrish’s team-high 20 points and record-breaking performance, Vandemerkt (13 points, 4 assists), Oswald (12 points, 4 assists), and Shane Kilcoyne (9 points, 7 rebounds) all played well for RB.