In Thursday's notebook we highlighted the lift 6-foot-5-inch sophomore Matt LaCosse has given Naperville North in the two games since his promotion to the varsity. That's a familiar name you shouldn't forget, as he will likely be North's starting quarterback come Aug. 28 at Neuqua Valley.

LaCosse fits the profile of a big, athletic player who can potentially make an immediate impact in a postseason game. Last year Glenbard West's Tyler Warden couldn't be found in your sectional program, but there was the sophomore taking over the Drew Crawford assignment midway through the third quarter of a regional final. To that point, the Naperville Central star had scored 12 points, but with Warden's long arms suddenly in his airspace, he finished with just 17.

Of course being John Shurna's wingman has its benefits. Shurna scored half of Glenbard West's points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 40-36 comeback victory.

As it turns out, Shurna and Crawford are friends who will be teammates next season at Northwestern. In the meantime, Shurna will continue hitting big shots. On Wednesday night his baseline 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds to play was the difference in a 72-69 victory over Ohio State in Evanston.

"[This win] is a great feeling for the whole team," Shurna told the Chicago Sun-Times. "We've been neck-and-neck in all these Big Ten games, and it doesn't seem to fall our way. So it's nice to finally pull one out.''