Stateline Boys Basketball Playoff Roundup
By Al Zipsie
Dakota boys basketball set a school single-season record for wins with 29.
However, their 20 game winning streak and season ended when they ran into a buzz saw in (Shabbona) Indian Creek at the River Ridge Sectional championship Friday.
Indian Creek, the top-ranked 1A team in the State stayed unbeaten at 35-0 winning their first-ever Sectional over Dakota (29-5) 57-51. The Indians had a seven-point lead in the third quarter but could not hold on. The game was tied at 51 before Indian Creek scored the last six points of the game. Wyatt Rockey led Dakota with 16 points.
In other Stateline action in the 2A Sectional final, Rockford Lutheran fell to Elmhurst Timothy Christian 89-78 despite 20 points from Tyler Penney. And Sterling Newman was eliminated by Fieldcrest 65-62.
In regionals in 3A Rockford Boylan beat Woodstock North for the title 65-50. The Titans were led by Anthony Brown with 24 and Johnny Close 19 points. Boylan now hosts the Sectional and play Hampshire in a semifinal Wednesday.
Belvidere North lost in a 3A Regional championship to Wauconda 54-41.
In 4A Regional championships at Guilford, it was Hononegah who beat Rockford East 54-51. Sophomore Owen Hart found a good time for his only points of the game with a game-winning 3 pointer with 1.1 seconds left.
Trent DeVries led Hononegah with 17 points. Hononegah now plays St. Charles North Wednesday in the McHenry Sectional semi.
In 4A Huntley ended Rockford Jefferson's season 65-52. Antonio Leavy led Jefferson with 23 points.
For Dakota the last time they won a Sectional championship was 1993 a year they went on to the Elite Eight in Class A before losing to Cairo.
The last time the Indians lost in the Sectional final was 2010 under coach Brian Benning falling to Eastland.
This year's coach Mike Bartelt played for Dakota under coach Jim Hoover in 1986 losing in the Sectional title game as a senior to Annawan.
As a junior Bartelt in 1985 won the Sectional before losing a heartbreaker 57-56 to Princeville on a tip-in at the buzzer in the Super-Sectional.
Bartelt's 2020 team came one win shy of the school's first-ever 30 win season. They do play a few more games these days then teams in the past. But this year's Indians have the Dakota record for most wins in a season with 29. The Dakota basketball and wrestling state champions combined for a 38 game winning streak which ended Friday.
List of top Dakota teams in its history. By wins.
2019-20. Coach Mike Bartelt. 29-5. Lost in Sectional final.
2005-06. Coach Brian Benning. 27-1 Loss in sectional. Led by Ben Rayhorn and Brady Stuckey.
1977-78. Coach Clair Miller. 27-3. Lost 59-57 in Elite Eight to Effingham St. Anthony 59-57. Many still regard this team as the best in Dakota history. Allen Rayhorn had 29 in the loss. He went on to star in Division 1 at Northern Illinois University. Was drafted by Seattle in the NBA. Played for the Rockford Lightning in the CBA. Other starters Brian Borgmann, Steve Daughenbaugh. And the late Tim Meck and the late Roger Ackerman.
1992-93. Coach Mike Schalow. 27-4. Only one of two teams to make State losing in quarterfinals. Coach Schalow went on to win two state titles at Kaukauna high school in Wisconsin and was named to the states coaching Hall of Fame.
1984-85. Coach Jim Hoover. 26-4. Loss in Super-Sectional.
2003-04. Coach Brian Benning. 26-4. Loss in Sectional.
1985-86. Coach Jim Hoover. 25-3. Loss in Sectional championship
2002-03. Coach Lee Bennett. 25-2.
1980-81. Coach Jim Hoover. 25-2.
1991-92. Coach Mike Schalow. 25-4.
2011-12. Coach Brian Benning. 23-6.
1959-60. Coach Ray Polhill. 23-2. Led by Larry Hoover, brother of Dakora coach Jim Hoover. Larry Hoover was one of the best multi-sport athletes at Dakota in football, basketball MVP of Conference and went to play at NIU. And still holds the shot put record in track today.
1997-98. Coach Lee Bennett. 23-5.
2009-10. Coach Brian Benning. 22-8. Loss in Sectional final to Eastland. Brian's son Kyle Benning led the team.
1981-82. Coach Jim Hoover. 21-6.
1974-75. Coach Clair Miller. 21-6. Led by Brian Benning and Dave Goeke.
1998-99. Coach Lee Bennett. 21-6.
1969-70. Coach Dick Carley. 20-6. Days of one class system and Dakota had to play large school Freeport in regionals. Starters Don Benning, Steve Folk, Russ Boyer, Paul Good, and Rick Fehr.
In 2014 Brian Benning's son, Brett Benning was all-state at Dakota setting a school-record 45 points in a game. Under coach Mike Bartlet they lost in Sectional to Eastland. Brett Benning went on to a solid career at Augustana. They were the Division lll National runner up in his sophomore season.
Another coach's son, Ryan Hoover son of Jim Hoover only played at Dakota until eighth grade before playing high school at Hononegah. He went on to play at Notre Dame before playing pro for many years in Italy.
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