Three teams, Lockport, Lyons, and Palatine, are looking to rise up the ranks this season as sleeper contenders in Illinois high school basketball.
Lockport's potent junior trio of Nathan Munson, Nedas Venckus, and Nojus Venckus will lead the charge, backed by a host of 6-4 seniors filling key roles under coach Dave Wilson. The Porters' strong summer performance made them an early sleeper to watch this winter.
Lyons is poised for a resurgence after a couple of subpar seasons, with talented guard Owen Carroll and juniors Timmy Sloan and Grant Smith leading the way. Coach Tom Sloan's team should easily surpass last year's win total and push into the Super 25 rankings at some point this season.
Palatine, meanwhile, is seeking to build on its magical run from a year ago, when it finished fourth in Class 4A under coach Eric Millstone. With five of their top seven players returning, including Illinois football recruit Tony Balanganayi and three-year starting guard Darrin Dick, the Pirates have all the ingredients to make another deep playoff push.
These teams will be worth keeping an eye on as they look to shake up the Illinois high school basketball landscape this season.
Lockport's potent junior trio of Nathan Munson, Nedas Venckus, and Nojus Venckus will lead the charge, backed by a host of 6-4 seniors filling key roles under coach Dave Wilson. The Porters' strong summer performance made them an early sleeper to watch this winter.
Lyons is poised for a resurgence after a couple of subpar seasons, with talented guard Owen Carroll and juniors Timmy Sloan and Grant Smith leading the way. Coach Tom Sloan's team should easily surpass last year's win total and push into the Super 25 rankings at some point this season.
Palatine, meanwhile, is seeking to build on its magical run from a year ago, when it finished fourth in Class 4A under coach Eric Millstone. With five of their top seven players returning, including Illinois football recruit Tony Balanganayi and three-year starting guard Darrin Dick, the Pirates have all the ingredients to make another deep playoff push.
These teams will be worth keeping an eye on as they look to shake up the Illinois high school basketball landscape this season.
! Nathan Munson, Nedas & Nojus Venckus r like 3-headed monster on the court 
! And Seniors are comin' in strong too 
. I'm low-key thinkin they got a shot at that top spot this year... Fingers crossed for a wild playoff run 
! You gotta wonder if the current system is doing enough for these talented young players, especially with Lockport and Palatine having some of their top talent return from last year's deep playoff runs...it's like they're already getting a leg up on the competition!
and i gotta say, Palatine's still a dark horse in my book. people might sleep on them because they're not as flashy as some of the other teams, but that 4A finish last year was no fluke 
i mean, their depth is definitely something to be reckoned with. also, have you seen Tony Balanganayi play football? dude's a beast! 
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! Lockport's got that potent junior trio and Palatine's got all the pieces with their returnees, can't wait to see Lyons make a resurgence too 
. The competition is gonna be fierce but it'll be awesome to watch these teams go up against each other 
meanwhile Lyons is lookin like a sleeper contender too 
. Lockport's got a talented squad, but can they keep it together? Lyons has some big names and it'll be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype. And Palatine, wow, that football recruit Tony Balanganayi is gonna bring the heat! 
I'm low-key rooting for these teams to make a dent in the rankings. Maybe we won't get another powerhouse team dominating everything like usual 
. It's time for some new faces to step up and shake things up 
️. I mean, it's crazy how far they've come from their subpar seasons last year 
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. Remember when we used to watch college hoops with our parents and just couldn't get enough of it? 
I mean, Lockport's got that sweet junior trio going on and Lyons has some serious talent coming through the juniors. It's gonna be interesting to see how they all jell together. And Palatine, man... they've got a solid squad from last year, so it'll be great to see what kind of magic they can whip up again. 
. Lyons' Owen Carroll is a straight-up baller 
. Lyons is definitely looking stronger with that talented guard Owen Carroll and the rest of their juniors stepping up, might just make a push for the Super 25 
. Palatine's gotta keep their momentum going from last season though, can't rely on just returning players to carry them through 
coaches wilson & tom sloan are gonna lead their teams to victory