State Tournament Preview: Class 1A Storylines to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MMCRU, Bishop Garrigan Looking for Football-Basketball Double Dip</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Garrigan won the football title in 8-player this fall, and MMCRU took home the Class A title, so both schools are looking to pull off the rare football-basketball state title tandem in the same school year. In addition to that, MMCRU is making their state tournament debut. The second-seeded Royals have been fantastic all year, ranking second in the class in scoring defense (39.4). It should come as no surprise that a team filled with so many athletes from that football team, which ranked first in scoring defense in Class A, is dominant on the defensive end on the hardwood as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can St. Edmond Send Out Adolph Kochendorfer With a Title?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gaels' legendary coach Adolph Kochendorfer will retire at the end of this season, and he has a chance to go out on top with the top-seeded team in the 1A field. St. Edmond reached the semifinals last season and brought back nearly everyone from that roster, led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1907683' first='Hunter' last='Horn'], who is averaging over 26 points and 9 rebounds a game. They enter the tournament on the longest winning streak in the class, 13 in a row, and have to be considered the favorite in a pretty open 1A tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens'] State Tournament Debut</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burlington, Notre Dame star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens'] led the Nikes to the state tournament for the first time since 2009, giving the rest of the state an opportunity to see just how good this senior guard is. The lone player in the 1A field committed to play Division I basketball (Western Illinois), Stephens is a unique blend of size (6-5), athleticism, length, intelligence, and shotmaking at this level of basketball. He's averaging 24.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 3.1 steals per game on 62-35-71 shooting splits, and is capable of taking over the game on either end of the floor. He'll have his hands full with a tough, physical Bellevue defense, but he's the most talented individual player in the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marquette Catholic Looking to Get Over the Hump</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If people were expecting Marquette Catholic to fall off after losing a majority of their roster from back-to-back runner-up finishes, they were mistaken. The Defenders are right back in the state tournament again and have a chance to make some noise again this season. With a defensive style that emphasizes their depth, speed, and athleticism, they lead the state in scoring at 75.6 points per game and have six players averaging in double-figures. While a majority of the roster is filled with different faces, the program is hungry to get over the hump and win a state title after finishing as the bridesmaid twice in a row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->