Outlook: With four returning starters, including 6-foot-8-inch J.R. Jurecko, Libertyville will be the favorite. Close behind will be Lake Forest, with the league’s best 1-2 punch in big men Ed Cage and Tyler Smith.
Top players: Antioch G Eric Campbell, 5-10, jr.; Warren G Maurice Foster, 6-3, sr.; Lake Forest C Cage, 6-8, sr., F Smith, 6-7, soph.; Libertyville C Jurecko, 6-8, jr., F Tim Beshel, 6-4, jr.; North Chicago F Yotoy McCoy, 6-6, sr.
Quotable: First-year Lake Forest coach Bill Donlon: “I`ve always been a strong defensive-minded coach because you win games with defense. On offense we will play up-tempo because the kids want to play that way and the fans want to see it.”
Key games: Libertyville at Antioch, Dec. 9; Lake Forest at Warren, Feb. 9; Lake Forest at Libertyville, Feb. 16.
Defending champion: Mundelein
Predicted finish: Libertyville, Lake Forest, Antioch, Warren, Zion-Benton, Stevenson, North Chicago, Mundelein
