The 2025-26 boys basketball season has reached the pinnacle: the IHSA state series, which stretched into sectionals at the end of last week.
And with regional titles in hand, eight Rockford-area boys basketball teams were still alive headed into the week. There were three from Class 1A alone (Dakota, Eastland and Pectonica), and then two in 2A (Oregon and Lutheran), which play each other, one in 3A (East) and two more in 4A (Guilford and Auburn), who could play each other Friday.
Oregon and Lutheran play each other at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 2A Mendota Sectional semifinal, looking for a bid to Friday’s 7 p.m. sectional title showdown.
“We have an interesting team this year, and I’ll tell you, they’ve gotten this far, and they don’t want to be done yet,” Lutheran head coach Tom Guse said. “And Oregon is big and good, but our guys are going to fight for this one.”
Guilford and Auburn play Tuesday in back-to-back 4A Hononegah Sectional games, taking aim at Friday sectional-final berths.
“We have to make sure we’re ready for a deep postseason run,” Auburn head coach Bryan Ott said. “That’s its own tough animal.”
To keep you up to date on all the scores and highlights as we cruise through the boys postseason, here are all the scores and schedules for the Rockford-area teams in the 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A boys basketball playoffs:
CLASS 1A
Bureau Valley Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Eastland 68, Rockford Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 30
Game 2: West Carroll 49, Polo 44
Game 3: Orion 80, Kirkland Hiawatha 30
Game 4: Fulton 61, Bureau Valley 56
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 5: Eastland 46, West Carroll 33
Game 6: Orion 72, Fulton 62
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 7: Eastland 46, Orion 45
Rock Island Alleman Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Sterling Newman 73, Ashton-Franklin Center 38
Game 2: Rock Island Alleman 56, Morrison 28
Game 3: Annawan 58, Kewanee Wethersfield 41
Game 4: Forreston 61, Milledgeville 44
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 5: Sterling Newman 85, Rock Island Alleman 63
Game 6: Forreston 52, Annawan 44
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 7: Sterling Newman 75, Forreston 48
Woodstock Marian Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Galena 74, Alden-Hebron 26
Game 2: Warren 67, Woodstock Marian 58
Game 3: Pecatonica 79, Durand 32
Game 4: Lena-Winslow 77, Rockford Christian Life 62
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 5: Galena 59, Warren 35
Game 6: Pecatonica 62, Lena-Winslow 52
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 7: Pecatonica 48, Galena 44
Pearl City Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Dakota 58, Hanover River Ridge 24
Game 2: Pearl City 56, Stockton 35
Game 3: East Dubuque 64, Orangeville 33
Game 4: Scales Mound 73, South Beloit 42
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 5: Dakota 59, Pearl City 42
Game 6: Scales Mound 46, East Dubuque 42
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 7 at 7 p.m.: Dakota 64, Scales Mound 46
Orion Sectional
Tue., Mar. 3
Match A at 7 p.m.: Pecatonica 70, Sterling Newman 66
Wed., Mar. 4
Match B at 7 p.m.:(1) Dakota vs. (2) Eastland
Fri., Mar. 6
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Pecatonica vs. Winner Game 2
Macomb (WIU) Super-Sectional
Mon., Mar. 9
Game 1 at 7 p.m.: Winner Monmouth United Sectional vs. Winner Orion Sectional
Class 1A State Final Tournament
Site: Champaign (University of Illinois)
Thu., Mar. 12
Game 1 at 10 a.m.: Winner Jacksonville Bowl Super-Sectional vs. Winner Charleston (Eastern Illinois U.) Super-Sectional
Game 2 at 11:45 a.m.: Winner Macomb (WIU) Super-Sectional vs. Winner Joliet Central Super-Sectional
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Sat., Mar. 14
Game 4 at 10 a.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
CLASS 2A
Aurora Christian Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Sandwich 41, Stillman Valley 38
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 2: Byron 73, Sandwich 45
Game 3: Aurora Christian 53, Prophetstown Co-op 47
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 4: Aurora Christian 61, Byron 57
Johnsburg Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: North Boone 74, Rockford Christian 58
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 2: Johnsburg 74, North Boone 57
Game 3: Richmond-Burton 49, Elmhurst Timothy Christian 46
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 4: Johnsburg 56, Richmond-Burton 53
Marengo Regional
Game 1: Niles Northridge Prep 71, Marengo 44
Game 2: Elmhurst IC Catholic 70, Elgin Harvest-Westminster 34
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 3: Rockford Lutheran 56, Niles Northridge Prep 38
Game 4: Winnebago 52, Elmhurst IC Catholic 49
Fri., Feb. 27
Rockford Lutheran 62, Winnebago 58
Rock Falls Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Aurora Central Catholic 65, Genoa-Kingston 62
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 2: Mendota 78, Aurora Central 46
Game 3: Oregon 76, Rock Falls 48
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 4 at 7 p.m.: Oregon 68, Mendota 52
Mendota Sectional
Tue., Mar. 3
Game 1: Rockford Lutheran 69, Oregon 67, OT
Wed., Mar. 4
Game 2 at 7 p.m.: (1) Johnsburg vs. (3) Aurora Christian
Fri., Mar. 6
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Lutheran vs. Winner Game 2
Sterling Super-Sectional
Mon., Mar. 9
Game 1 at 7 p.m.: Winner Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central) Sectional vs. Winner Mendota Sectional
Class 2A State Final Tournament
Site: Champaign (U. of Illinois)
Thu., Mar. 12
Game 1 at 2:30 p.m.: Winner Sterling Super-Sectional vs. Winner Pontiac Super-Sectional
Game 2 at 4:15 p.m.: Winner Joliet Central Super-Sectional vs. Winner Carbondale (SIU) Super-Sectional
Game 3 at 8:45 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Sat., Mar. 14
Game 4 at noon: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
CLASS 3A
Boylan Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1: Boylan 73, Woodstock North 42
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 2 at 6 p.m.: Sycamore 86, Boylan 70
Game 3 at 7:30 p.m.: Woodstock 58, Belvidere 42
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 4: Sycamore 61, Woodstock 35
Rochelle Regional
Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1 at 6 p.m.: Freeport 69, Harvard 29
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 2: Freeport 62, Belvidere North 57
Game 3: Rockford East 70, Rochelle 53
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 4: Rockford East 70, Freeport 68
Woodstock North Sectional
Tue., Mar. 3
Game 1: Maple Park Kaneland 64, Rockford East 44
Wed., Mar. 4
Game 2 at 7 p.m.: (1) Sycamore vs. (3) Crystal Lake South
Fri., Mar. 6
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Kaneland vs. Winner Game 2
DeKalb (NIU) Super-Sectional
Mon., Mar. 9
Game 1 at 6 p.m.: Winner Ottawa Sectional vs. Winner Woodstock North Sectional
Class 3A State Final Tournament
Site: Champaign (U. of Illinois)
Fri., Mar. 13
Game 1 at 10 a.m.: Winner Hoffman Estates (NOW Arena) Super-Sectional vs. Winner DeKalb (NIU) Super-Sectional
Game 2 at 11:45 a.m.: Winner Chicago (UIC) Super-Sectional vs. Winner Springfield (Bank of Springfield Center) Super-Sectional
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Sat., Mar. 14
Game 4 at 4 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
CLASS 4A
DeKalb Regional
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 1: Auburn 73, Huntley 36
Game 2: Jefferson 70, DeKalb 63
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 3.: Auburn 73, Jefferson 57
Guilford Regional
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 1: Guilford 60, Hampshire 30
Game 2: Hononegah 75, Harlem 60
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Guilford 65, Hononegah 55
Hononegah Sectional
Tue., Mar. 3
Game 1: Auburn 84, Gurnee Warren 76
Game 2: Guilford 63, Waukegan 57
Fri., Mar. 6
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Auburn vs. Guilford
DeKalb (NIU) Super-Sectional
Mon., Mar. 9
Game 1 at 7:30 p.m.: Winner Bolingbrook Sectional vs. Winner Hononegah Sectional
Class 4A State Final Tournament
Site: Champaign (U. of Illinois)
Fri., Mar. 13
Game 1 at 10 a.m.: Winner Hoffman Estates (NOW Arena) Super-Sectional vs. Winner DeKalb (NIU) Super-Sectional
Game 2 at 11:45 a.m.: Winner Chicago (UIC) Super-Sectional vs. Winner Springfield (Bank of Springfield Center) Super-Sectional
Game 3 at 7 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Sat., Mar. 14
Game 4 at 4 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford-area boys basketball postseason highlights as we hit sectionals
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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