Class 3A/4A girls' basketball: Big schools tip off run

Preps coordinator COLIN LIKAS gives a rundown of each area program before their postseason starts today:

CLASS 4A

Quincy Regional

No. 11 Centennial Chargers (1-26)

Players to watch: Alayah Biggers (So.);Silvia Du (Jr.); Ashley Kirby (Sr.).

Regular season: Chargers have suffered through injuries and are a young group, so victories have been hard to come by.

Outlook: Should Centennial knock off eighth-seeded Chatham Glenwood in the quarters, it would be a significant win.

Bloomington Regional

No. 7 Danville Vikings (15-14)

Players to watch: Nau'tika Conaway (Fr.); Makayla Gray (Sr.); Erin Houpt (So.).

Regular season: After a rough 4-11 start, the Vikings are ensured of at least a .500 season with a strong finish.

Outlook: Danville lost to eighth-seeded Bloomington by 10 points in December. No. 1 Edwardsville may be too much to overcome afterward.

CLASS 3A

Clinton Regional

No. 4 Urbana Tigers (18-11)

Players to watch: Amya Bahler (Sr.); Alarea Jackson (Jr.); Chian Scott (Jr.).

Regular season: Tigers put up best campaign since most-recent regional title season of 2009.

Outlook: Should Urbana and Champaign Central match up in semifinal on Tuesday, it would certainly be intriguing.

No. 5 Champaign Central (16-12)

Players to watch: Morgan Browning (So.); Aija Gwin (So.); Chanice Willis (Jr.).

Regular season: Maroons nearly won the Decatur Eisenhower Holiday Tournament title, experienced an up-and-down season otherwise.

Outlook: Central matches up well with Rantoul in the quarterfinals. Urbana is a different test in the semis, and top seed Charleston looms as tough challenge.

No. 8 Clinton Maroons (16-12)

Players to watch: Mallory Cyrulik (Fr.); Destiny Schlesinger (Jr.); Maddie Stevens (Jr.).

Regular season: Maroons won four of their last six tilts and also knocked off a good Tuscola team — nearly twice.

Outlook: Clinton has horses to run with, possibly beat Mahomet-Seymour.

No. 9 Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs (13-15)

Players to watch: Keida Nichols (Sr.); Kailyn Northrup (Sr.); Makayla Rosenbery (Jr.).

Regular season: Since six-game skid ended in mid-January, M-S closed with a solid 5-3 stretch in last eight games.

Outlook: Beating Clinton in the quarterfinals would be a quality win, but Bulldogs lost 49-22 at Charleston on Jan. 31.

No. 11 Rantoul Eagles (7-18)

Players to watch: Courtney Sutherland (Sr.); Mye'joi Williams (Jr.); Tanaya Young (So.).

Regular season: Eagles have won just twice this calendar year, though one of those triumphs came against Illini Prairie Conference enemy Prairie Central.

Outlook: Eagles are in a tough spot versus Central in the quarterfinals, having lost to the Maroons 51-19 on Jan. 15.

Pontiac Regional

No. 7 Prairie Central Hawks (14-14)

Players to watch: Becca Conlisk (Jr.); Elly Haberkorn (Jr.); Emma Kinkade (So.).

Regular season: Reached .500 nine different times while also posting a pair of three-game win streaks.

Outlook: Can handle ninth-seeded Streator in the quarterfinals, but Washington may be too tall a task to overcome.