Providence Catholic having success in girls basketball this year is not surprising to anyone. The Celtics went 23-12 last season, advanced to the Marian Catholic Sectional finals and returned most of their production, though losing Molly Knight to graduation was a blow to overcome.

The Celtics are now 16-2. Again, no surprise that they’ve been great, though it’s probably time to acknowledge them as legit contenders to make a run at the Class 3A state tournament.

After starting the year with five straight wins, coach Eileen Copenhaver acknowledged the Celtics weren’t at their best when they played Loyola Academy. Sure enough, the Ramblers defeated them 64-39. Like all great teams, however, they learned from the loss.

The Celtics rattled off 11 straight victories from there, many of them in dominant fashion. All were by more than one possession, the closest being five points, while seven were by double-digits, including a pair of wins by more than 40.

It would be easy to say the bulk of the success has come from the addition of the Callahan sisters. Of course, they’ve had a big impact. Pepperdine commit Landrie Callahan is the team’s leading scorer, frequently surpassing 20 points and reaching double-digits in rebounding.

Her sister, junior Layken Callahan, isn’t usually far behind. It’s the reason she’s already earned multiple Division I offers. The siblings transferring in from Morris have been a boost for the Celtics.

However, there’s a lot of talent on the team that returned from last year’s sectional squad. Eilish Raines, Maggie Wolniakowski, Taylor Healy and Kennady Kotowski have all been excellent this season and will determine how far this group goes.

The Celtics responded to their first loss in championship fashion. They recently suffered their second loss, 54-49, to Notre Dame Academy. Keep an eye on how they respond to this one.

Lockport still going strong

Count Lockport as another team having success that was widely expected.

The Porters were 28-5 last season and made the Rich Township Sectional semifinals, losing to Lincoln-Way West by one point. However, they lost three key contributors from that squad, including two All-Conference players in Alaina Peetz and Lucy Hynes.

This season hasn’t been as successful yet. The Porters are 14-5 with the same number of losses and half the wins thus far as last year. However, they’re on pace for a strong finish, already sitting at 5-1 in Southwest Suburban Conference play.

The Porters have won three in a row and six of their past seven. Their most recent victory came over Lincoln-Way West by 27 points. Katie Peetz has led the effort much of the season, though it’s an all-around team effort in Lockport.

With 12 games left in the regular season, Lockport will be looking to solidify itself as one of the teams to watch in the playoffs.

Bolingbrook rolls along

Bolingbrook has flown a little under the radar, but they’ve quietly had an excellent season. The Raiders are 9-2 with an interesting stretch coming up. Games against Plainfield Central and Joliet West should improve their number in the win column, while games against Minook and Nazareth will test just how real they are.