During the Oswego Panthers' boys basketball team's run to the Class 3A state title game last year, girls coach Chad Pohlmann ran into his star guard Samiya Wright in DeKalb.

The girls were knocked out in the sectional final against Freeport, but Wright was already thinking ahead.

"I want that, I want that opportunity," Wright told her coach of a super-sectional contest.

"We were jealous but not in a bad way," Pohlmann said. "It definitely has given us some inspiration."

According to Pohlmann, that inspiration worked both ways last year. Boys coach Kevin Schnable said his boys watched the girls beat Rosary just before facing a favored Aurora Central Catholic boys team in their own regional championship, and it gave them a boost in feeling they can beat the Chargers.

"That conversation has been had between the two basketball coaches and between me and Samiya," Pohlmann said. "It definitely was really inspiring to watch them be able to make their run, play so solid and play without fear in the state tournament and it has given our girls motivation to try to do that."