March Madness spreads its wings. In the basketball world, college and high school, March Madness is frenzy filled with facing sudden elimination, or, advancement for another game, or more games.
Winter sports other than basketball have their own form of madness in their journeys to finality.
Girls high school basketball has reached the State tournament final four for the two smaller classes, and sectional tournament, one week away from the State tournament, for the bigger schools.
Boys high school smaller schools started the regional tournaments this week and the two larger classes will begin next week.
Division I men’s college teams will hold their selection show Sunday, March 15 and the women’s brackets will be announced Monday, March 16. Conference tournaments will whet the appetite, if any were necessary. In essence, the Big Ten men’s basketball race has created its own March Madness. Ten teams could qualify for the 68-team tournament announcement March 15. Through Monday, Maryland led with a 12-4 conference record and 22-5 overall, however, five teams were tied for second place, each 10-6. The quality teams: Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The climactic run should be both fun and interesting. Madness.
• The high school situation already has taken an interesting and coincidental turn, especially involving Aurora Christian. The Aurora Christian wrestlers met with success in Saturday’s State meet (see Bobby Narang’s article on page 12), the girls basketball team reached the four-team Class 1A State tournament in Normal, the boys this week are favored in their regional meet at home, and longtime boys basketball coach Don Davidson, this week announced his retirement, but, from Parkview Christian. He was at Aurora Christian for 31 years, established the fledgling school’s basketball program, led the 1989-1990 team to fourth place in the two-class A tournament, and to second place in the 1994-1995 season.
He was pleased with the 80-game home winning streak that started in 1988 and ended in 1997. “The players were motivated not to be the team to end that home winning streak,” he said. He coached 53 years in all, the last 43 as a head coach. He was at Yorkville High School through 1977, then Aurora Christian for 31 seasons, and ended by starting the Parkview Christian program in Yorkville.
In 53 years of coaching he relishes setting an example as a Christian and, “leading the boys to the Lord,” he said earlier in the week.
His time as coach ended Tuesday this week in defeat on the court. Newark defeated Parkview Christian, 56-22, in a Class 1A regional quarterfinal game at Somonauk.
“It’s time,” he said earlier in the week. He is 75 years old. He said, “I still enjoy coaching and enjoy practice, however, after 53 years it’s time. I get really tired during the season. I decided someone younger should take over. I have (11) grandsons to watch play basketball and during the season it is difficult to get time to go Indiana to watch them.”
• The Aurora Christian girls have put together an impressive run to the State tournament, led by head coach Burney Wilke who has established the program. The young team, which goes seven deep, impressively, led by defense, has tournament victories by scores of 74-31, 52-19, 62-29, and 53-18.
“We’ve been talkng about State from day one,” Wilke said Tuesday. “We have had great competition with bigger schools which really has helped us.”
• The Indian Creek boys were 30-0 at the start of this week’s Class 1A regional tournament at Rockford Christian Life. “We start four juniors and one senior. Cooper Larsen is the second leading scorer in school history. Drew Gaston, Cameron Russell, Michael Lamson, and Brennen McNalley all play great basketball and make each other better,” head coach Joe Piekarz, said.
• Glenbard South head basketball coach Wade Hardtke said about the showdown Wednesday this week with East Aurora for the Upstate Eight Conference championship: “We are at our best with a balanced attack. We won the first one in overtime.”