Illinois Preps Insider’s Girls Basketball top-20: Week 8

Sorry for the week gap. By the time I got back there really wasn’t a point to do the rankings. There wasn’t a whole lot of games last week either so it wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

A common theme in this years rankings is a team that was poised to break into the top-20 lose their last Friday night conference game before we release these. Sorry Lake Forest, that was you this week.

Going against everything I believe in a putting a sub-.500 team in the rankings this late in the season. Bolingbrook has struggled, but after just seeing what’s around the area, there’s no doubt they’re one of the top-20 teams out there.

Special shoutout to Kankakee. Technically they’re not a part of my (ambiguous) “coverage area” but I believe they are the only other undefeated team besides Maine West. If they make it to super-sectionals, I may have to make it out to Coal City to see them play Richwoods.

Once you get past the top-15 you see the pattern of very solid teams who will win the games they’re supposed to, but just don’t have enough to beat anyone in the top-15. There’s a pretty significant drop off.

1. Maine West 1 (21-0) 1

*Shrug*

2. Nazareth (18-1) 2

3A is going to be a lot more fun this year

3. Montini (21-3) 3

Has McAuley’s number

4. Mother McAuley (18-2) 4

Hynes injury sure didn’t help

5. Benet (18-4) 6

Much needed down time for Benet

6. Whitney Young  (15-4) 7

Finding their groove

7. St. Ignatius (17-4) 8

Is it possible for a top-10 team fly under the radar?

8. Fremd (18-3) 5

Klaczak injury is a killer

9. Simeon (15-7) 9

Gonna just go ahead and not mention what they did this past week…

10. Thornwood (18-1) 10

Suffered first loss in New Orleans

11. New Trier (16-4) 14

Healthy and continually improving

12. Marist (14-6) 11

Difficult to bump them too much after a ridiculously tough week

13. Loyola (17-5) 12

Winning the games they’re supposed to

14. Evanston (15-6) 13

Giving them the benefit of the doubt that they can turn it around

15. Kenwood (14-8) 15

Still very inconsistent, Fremd win was certainly a boost

16. Fenwick (17-7) 17

Brutal week upcoming

17. Geneva (10-6) 20

Still have a great opportunity to go downstate

18. Wheaton North (14-2)

Loss to rival Geneva

19. Lincoln-Way West (15-3) NR

Seven game winning streak

20. Bolingbrook (8-9) NR

Record not an indicator of their talent. Go look at their losses.