Quick hitters about local teams as they enter prep basketball's postseason:

Neuqua Valley is the second seed in its own sectional. The Wildcats are shooting for their third straight sectional championship. The Wildcats have lost each of the past two seasons in the supersectional. How far the Wildcats advance this time around could depend on the health of forward Dwyane Evans, who missed both games last week because of an Achilles' tendon injury he suffered in a nonconference victory against Downers Grove South on Feb. 20.

Benet is the third seed in the Neuqua Valley Sectional. The Redwings are riding high - having won 12 straight games. Benet enters the postseason having won the East Suburban Catholic Conference outright for the first time since the 1994-95 season. Benet hasn't won a regional championship since the 2004-05 season. The Redwings came close to knocking off top-seeded Neuqua in a regional semifinal last year. Benet gets it done with defense. The Redwings are allowing 42 points per game.

Naperville North is the fourth seed in the Neuqua Valley Sectional. The Huskies have 20 wins for the first time since the 2005-06 season, which also happens to be the last time the Huskies won a regional championship. North has gotten the job done on the defensive end of the floor by limiting the opposition to 45 points per game.

Naperville Central is the 10th seed in the Neuqua Valley Sectional. The Redhawks have been up and down throughout the season. Coach Pete Kramer said the biggest issue with this group has been its inability to play consistently. Central has showed signs of putting things together by winning three straight since its loss at North on Feb. 12. The Redhawks lean on center Matt Neufeld and a 2-3 matchup zone defense.

The Neuqua Valley boys basketball team won its second straight Martin Luther King Classic on Monday night.

The Wildcats won all four of their games, including a 63-52 final against host Rockton-Hononegah. Earlier in the day, they defeated Zion-Benton 88-75, this after sweeping Saturday's slate: 81-48 over Sterling and 74-44 over Normal Community.

Neuqua has participated in the Classic since 2005-06, compiling a 17-3 record.

Eddie Burns, For Sun-Times Media

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 23
Orange Pool at Oswego
Geneva vs. West Chicago, 5:30 p.m.
Waubonsie Valley vs. Oswego, 7 p.m.
Blue Pool at Naperville North
DeKalb vs. Oswego East, 5:30 p.m.
Marmion vs. Naperville North, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 24
Orange Pool at Oswego
Geneva vs. Waubonsie Valley, 5:30 p.m.
West Chicago vs. Oswego, 7 p.m.
Blue Pool at Naperville North
Marmion vs. Oswego East, 5:30 p.m.
DeKalb vs. Naperville North, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 25 at Oswego
West Chicago vs. Waubonsie Valley, 12 p.m.
Geneva vs. Oswego, 1:30 p.m.
Marmion vs. DeKalb, 3 p.m.
Oswego East vs. Naperville North, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 27 at Oswego
No. 4 Orange vs. No. 4 Blue, 12 p.m.
No. 3 Orange vs. No. 3 Blue, 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Orange vs. No. 2 Blue, 3 p.m.
No. 1 Orange vs. No. 1 Blue, 5 p.m.

Naperville North senior center Matt Hasse gave a verbal commitment to Austin Peay on Monday, according to Sean Connor, his AAU coach with the Velocity program.

The Governors have advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game in six of the past seven seasons. Coach Dave Loos, who is heading into his 20th season leading the program, has 314 victories at Austin Peay, which ranks second in conference history.

Basketball's early signing period runs Nov. 11-18. The 6-foot-9-inch Hasse figures to be in an immediate fight for playing time next year - Loos is guiding a team that features nine underclassmen on the roster.

Benet will hold an offensive skills clinic in October for boys in grades five through eight. The dates are Oct. 4, Oct. 11 and Oct. 25. For more information, visit benet.org or contact hoops coach Gene Heidkamp at 630-719-2824.

Joe Henricksen of City/Suburban Hoops Report has a recruiting update on 6-foot-5-inch Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans, who -- if everything breaks right -- could eventually join his friend Drew Crawford (Naperville Central) at Northwestern. Henricksen writes:

After a strong finish in the high school season and a solid start in the spring AAU season, Evans did not play his best basketball during the July evaluation period. Although he has been a highly productive player who finds ways to get things done, he still has the dreaded 'tweener label attached to him.

Hoops Report Analysis: While Northwestern is still heavily involved and the biggest player in the Evans recruiting, the mid-major level would be ideal for Evans. If Evans to Northwestern doesn't get done, keep an eye on these schools as we inch closer to November and the signing period: Loyola, Drake, Toledo, Western Michigan and Fairfield.

City/Suburban Hoops Report guru Joe Henricksen ranks 6-foot-5-inch Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans at No. 15 on his list of the state's top 50 players from the Class of 2010. The scouting report on Evans:

Still trying to shed the dreaded 'tweener label. Perimeter shot extends to the three-point line and has gained consistency, though he's more of a pull-up/spot-up shooter. He's not one to rise up and get his own and must improve his comfort with his handle. Just an old school player who plays with a warrior's demeanor, winner's mentality and high motor. Manages to get a lot done against bigger, more athletic players around the basket.

Not surprisingly, Waukegan's Jereme Richmond, an Illinois recruit, topped the list. A few other names you might recognize: No. 11 Jordan Threloff, DeKalb; No. 23 Tim Rusthoven, Wheaton Academy; No. 31 Antoine Cox, Bolingbrook; No. 38 Jay Harris, Oswego East; and No. 50 DeAndre McCamey, St. Joseph.

Spots are still available for the Benet basketball accelerated skills camp. It is open to boys and girls in the fifth through ninth grades and will take place July 13-16 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, contact Benet varsity boys basketball coach Gene Heidkamp at 630-719-2824 or gheidkamp@benet.org.

Naperville North has named Jeff Powers as its new boys varsity basketball coach.

Powers compiled a 201-110 record during 11 years at Timothy Christian and spent last season as a York assistant. Powers, who will be a physical education teacher at the school, follows Mark Lindo, a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

After nearly two decades, Lindo stepped down in March, though he remains at North as a teacher and baseball assistant. Lindo has also been inducted into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Under Lindo's direction, the Huskies won sectional titles in 1994 and 1998, but during the past two seasons they have finished a combined eight games under .500.

Powers takes over a program with significant varsity experience. The Huskies figure to return four proven players between 6 feet, 5 inches and 6-9, as well as a class that won the DuPage Valley Conference championship on the sophomore level.

--Joe Henricksen has an interesting blog post up on the Illinois Warriors, an elite AAU program that helped Naperville Central's Drew Crawford gain national exposure. Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans currently plays for the Warriors.

--We didn't get a chance to link to this last week: Mike O'Toole, the former head coach at Joliet Catholic, will return to Neuqua as an assistant to Todd Sutton. A spot opened up on Sutton's staff with Bob Vozza's move to Metea Valley.

For some time now, Joe Henricksen has given Drew Crawford the benefit of the doubt. In a final installment for the City/Suburban Hoops Report, Henricksen ranks the state's top college prospects in the class of 2009, slotting the Naperville Central senior third.

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody has said that he thinks Evanston will be a good place for a guard to be over the next few years - the Wildcats have already recruited the interior players. Assistant Tavaras Hardy, who was instrumental in signing Crawford, told us: "We want to recruit kids that have a chance to make an immediate impact."

The departure of senior guard Craig Moore will open up a spot in the starting five next season, and Henricksen wasn't subtle in his prediction:

3. Drew Crawford, 6-5, 2G, Naperville (Central) ... There weren't enough people who were able to see just how good Crawford was during his high school career. Look for Crawford to start from day one at Northwestern and truly blossom in college.