After overcoming a pair of two-run deficits earlier in the game, Wilmington took an 8-7 opening-day loss to Homewood-Flossmoor in walk-off fashion Monday.

As the prep softball season begins Monday, here are five storylines from the Daily Journal area to keep an eye on.

Bishop McNamara pulled off an improbable comeback win in Friday's IHSA Class 2A Seneca Sectional championship against Yorkville Christian, outscoring the Mustangs 37-10 down the stretch to erase a 14-point deficit and win 69-56 in overtime.

Kankakee, which entered the postseason as the top-ranked team in Class 3A, was shocked by Morton in Friday's Class 3A Ottawa Sectional championship.

With a pair of 2,000-point scorers in Addison Lucht and Dierks Neukomm, and a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Lauryn Hamrick and Seth Walder, the Cissna Park basketball class of 2026 made their way into school record books.

Kankakee erased a late 10-point deficit to beat East Peoria 59-53 in Wednesday's IHSA Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinal, advancing to the championship game against Morton on Friday.

Kankakee's headed to the sectional championship round after defeating East Peoria 59-53 in the IHSA Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinals Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

Bishop McNamara's boys basketball team held Wilmington to a season-low 24 points and turned 17 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points in Tuesday's Class 2A Seneca Sectional semifinal win.

An entire lineup of nine standouts return to the diamond from last year's Daily Journal All-Area softball team.