Rockford-Area Season Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the high school season coming to a close in Illinois, here's some of my top takeaways and final rankings for the Rockford Area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Auburn Remains Rockford's Top Team, Has a bright Future</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite finishing second in the NIC-10, Rockford Auburn was the most efficient large-school team in the area. They Ade it all the way to the 4A super-sectional in DeKalb before falling to Benet. The Knights finished the season 23-13 and 14-4 in league play. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1537983' first='Adrian' last='Agee'] led the way with 15.5 points per contest. What stands out most are his shooting abilities as he can stay hot and light it up from anywhere. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1845353' first='Amir' last='Danforth'], nephew of NBA star Fred VanVleet, averaged double figures this season. Expect Danforth to be ranked high in the first 2026 player rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Guilford wins NIC-10, Flashes Potential</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockford Guilford took home the NIC-10 title with a 15-3 record in league play and a 22-9 overall record. They fell to Rockford Auburn in the regional final. [player_tooltip player_id='1282464' first='Malachi' last='Johnson'] is a strong combo-guard in the class of 2024 who gets it done on both ends of the floor. Junior F Cinco Gary is another intriguing prospect who took massive strides in his game this season. Several other junior and sophomores made an impact this season and will look tov build on that next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lutheran Can't Get Revenge in SuperSectional</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After rolling through their sectional, Rockford Lutheran faced a rematch with Rockridge in the Sterling 2A super sectional. Despite going back and forth, the Crusaders lost a heartbreaker 60-59 and were sent home. The senior guard duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1541240' first='Vontez' last='Dent'] and Walter Hill Jr were solid throughout the season. Their biggest wins came late in the season when they knocked off Rockford Christian, who had one of the hottest starts in Illinois, along with Normal U-High and Aurora Christian. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Rankings</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Auburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Guilford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. Boylan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Lutheran</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->