Girls basketball: Bolingbrook, Barrington, Stevenson and Benet Academy – a pregame look at Class 4A’s Final Four

Here is a look at the statistics of the IHSA Girls Basketball Class 4A State Finals Final Four.

Semifinals will be held Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal, with Stevenson playing Benet Academy at 2:30 p.m., followed by Bolingbrook versus Barrington at about 4:15 p.m.

The semifinal losers play in the third-place game at about 8:15 p.m. Friday, while the winners play for the state championship at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

Bolingbrook is making its ninth appearance in the state finals – all since 2005 – most recently taking third in 2020. The tournament was cancelled because of COVID-19 in 2021. The Raiders have won four state championships, finished second twice, third once and fourth once.

“A high school state championship means something to our girls,” Bolingbrook coach Chris Smith said. “They walk in our gym and see the banners, they see the history and tradition. They know when they put the Bolingbrook uniform on what is expected of them.

“When we finished third two years ago, [current senior guard] Kennedi Perkins said, ‘I will be back here with my Bolingbrook team.’ That’s the type of desire and mentality our girls have.”

Bolingbrook senior Tatiana Thomas is a Kent State University committ, while Perkins has received multiple Division I offers. Coach Smith said Perkins has narrowed her choices to Central Michigan and Temple.

Bolingbrook

Record: 24-5

Nickname: Raiders

Conference: Southwest Suburban

Head coach: Chris Smith (170-69)

Scoring leaders: Kennedi Perkins 13.9 ppg, Angelina Smith 12.6 ppg, Tatiana Thomas 10.6 ppg

Rebounding leaders: Tatiana Thomas 7.3 rpg, Persais Williams 5.0 rpg

Assists leaders: Angelina Smith 2.8 apg, Tatiana Thomas 2.1 apg

Path to Redbird: Defeated Lincoln-Way East, 56-35, for Lincoln-Way East Regional title; defeated Homewood-Flossmoor, 61-50, for Bolingbrook Sectional title; defeated Edwardsville, 56-53, for Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional title

State Finals history: 4th in 2005 (AA), 1st in 2006 (AA), 2nd in 2007 (AA), 2nd in 2008 (4A), 1st in 2009 (4A), 1st in 2010 (4A), 1st in 2011 (4A), 3rd in 2020 (4A).

Worth noting: It all starts on the defensive end for the Raiders with an aggressive man-to-man scheme. Coach Smith said that in his nine years, they have not played a zone once... Because of a COVID shutdown, the Raiders did not practice or play from Dec. 22 to Jan. 4. Of Bolingbrook’s five losses, only one has come to a school in Illinois. That was a 47-42 loss to Sycamore in which 6-foot-3 sophomore Tahj-Monet Bloom was lost to a knee injury early in the game.

Barrington

Record: 29-5

Nickname: Fillies

Conference: Mid-Suburban League

Head coach: Babbi Barreiro (488-409)

Scoring leaders: Sophie Swanson 21.2 ppg, Molly O’Riordan 11.0 ppg, Laura Mahlum 9.4 ppg

Rebounding leaders: Gwen Adler 8.9 rpg, Molly O’Riordan 5.8 rpg

Assists leaders: Gwen Adler 2.5 apg, Molly O’Riordan 1.9 apg

Path to Redbird: Defeated McHenry, 62-26, for Barrington Regional title; defeated South Elgin, 58-51, for DeKalb Sectional title; defeated St. Charles East, 64-33, for South Elgin Supersectional title

State Finals history: This is Barrington’s first appearance in the state finals.

Worth noting: The 5-11 Swanson, a junior, is a Purdue committ. Point guard Allison Funk, Mahlum and O’Riordan all were members of Barrington’s volleyball team this fall, which finished third in Class 4A. The Fillies will play a lot of match-up zone defense, and coach Barreiro said that when they are playing well, they will have everyone involved in the scoring and play pressure defense. Two of Barrington’s five losses were to fellow state qualifier Stevenson, including their last loss Dec. 30.

Stevenson

Record: 33-2

Nickname: Patriots

Conference: North Suburban

Head coach: Ashley Graham (161-47 at Stevenson, 225-69 overall)

Scoring leaders: Simone Sawyer 14.5 ppg, Emory Klatt 12.9 ppg, Ava Bardic 12.9 ppg

Rebounding leaders: Emory Klatt 11.2 rpg, Kendall Williams 3.9 rpg

Assists leaders: Kendall Williams 3.2 apg, Ava Bardic 3.0 apg

Path to Redbird: Defeated Round Lake, 64-31, for the Stevenson Regional title; defeated Lake Zurich, 46-26, for the Warren Sectional title; defeated Loyola Academy, 36-32, for the Hersey Supersectional title

State Finals history: 1st in 1995 (AA); 1st in 1996 (AA); DNP in 2001 (AA).

Worth noting: Sawyer, a 5-10 senior, is a four-year starter and Penn committ, while Bardic, a 5-8 senior, is also a four-year starter and is committed to the University of Illinois-Springfield. Coach Graham, who played in Redbird Arena as a member of the Illinois State basketball team, said that the Patriots like to push the tempo on offense and apply pressure on defense. Stevenson handed fellow 4A state finalist Barrington two of its five losses.

Benet Academy

Record: 30-3

Nickname: Redwings

Conference: East Suburban Catholic

Head coach: Joe Kilbride (220-30)

Scoring leaders: Lenee Beaumont 15.0 ppg, Morgan Demos 12.2 ppg, Margaret Temple 7.4 ppg

Rebounding leaders: Morgan Demos 7.8 rpg, Samantha Trimberger 6.7 rpg

Assists leaders: Lenee Beaumont 4.0 apg, Margaret Temple 3.0 apg

Path to Redbird: Defeated Plainfield East, 65-42, for Benet Academy Regional title; defeated Naperville North, 55-51, for East Aurora Sectional title; defeated Whitney Young, 44-37, for Mother McAuley Supersectional title

State Finals history: DNP in 1998 (AA); 1st in 2015 (4A); 1st in 2016 (4A), 4th in 2019 (4A).

Worth noting: Beaumont, a 6-0 junior, was named MVP of the East Suburban Catholic Conference and has received multiple D- I offers. Demos, a 6-2 senior, will attend the U.S. Naval Academy. The Redwings have allowed only one team to score more than 50 points since Dec. 30. Benet has 20 wins over teams that won a regional title this season and three wins against teams that were ranked No. 1 in the state (Kenwood, Naperville North, Nazareth Academy) when they played them.