The following previews cover the boys' sectional finals on Saturday, May 17.

GBS SECTIONAL

12:00pm (1) Loyola vs (3) Niles West

The Ramblers didn't waste any time letting New Trier hang around in their semifinal round game, as the usual tightly-contested playoff rivalry of year's past was not to be after Loyola built up a 10-2 halftime lead en route to a 13-4 win. They will hope to get out to a similar start against a Niles West team that put all the pieces together in order to get past Glenbrook South 11-8 on Friday night. The Wolves will count on the trio of Max Yusim, Kyle Patt, and Steven Renko to make a difference on both ends of the pool. They will have to shutdown Cameron Shewchuck and a well-balanced Rambler offense if they hope to earn their first-ever state tournament berth against a team that never backs down from pressure in big game situations.

LWC SECTIONAL

12:00pm (1) Sandburg vs (3) Andrew

The Eagles and T-Bolts both earned impressive wins on Friday night and meet for a chance at a state tournament berth on Saturday afternoon. Sandburg dispatched LWC in quick fashion by jumping out to a 7-2 lead before securing an 11-4 win, while Andrew pulled away from Lockport by building an 11-5 lead before beating the Porters 11-8. Eric Tamulonis spearheads an offense full of viable weapons, while the Eagles will look to players like Majd Ibrahim, Mitch Zieler, and Zach Roper to get them back to the state tournament after a brief hiatus last year.

LYONS SECTIONAL

11:00pm (1) Fenwick vs (2) Lyons

The winner of the sectional final between the Friars and Lions has gone on to win the state tournament for the last several years, so all eyes will be on who emerges from LT with a sectional title on Saturday. Fenwick had no trouble getting past St Patrick on Friday behind strong efforts from Danny Farmer, Omar Calderon, and Ryan Masi. Meanwhile, the Lions bounced back from last weekend's overtime loss to OPRF with a 10-7 victory over their WSC rivals to get back to the sectional title game. Will the hosts have any tricks up their sleeve as they hope to upset the Friars, or will the defending champions move one step closer to another state title?

METEA VALLEY SECTIONAL

11:00pm (1) Naperville North vs (2) Naperville Central

Naperville North beat Naperville Central three straight times during the 2014 season and lost only once during the entire campaign. The Redhawks have turned it on lately with quality wins over Loyola and Stevenson in recent weeks. Throw all of those things out the window, however, because when these two rivals meet in the postseason, anything is bound to happen. The last contest between the two squads was a scrappy affair that led to several ejections and other incidents, so you know both teams will be laying it all on the line for a chance to get to the state tournament. The top-ranked Huskies will look for Drake McClure, Gianmarco Duin, and Nolan Roberts to have big games, while the Redhawks can call on players like Christian May, Joe Bigenwald, Nick Walker, and Ryan Donahue to help get them to the promised land in what might be the best matchup on Saturday.

MUNDELEIN SECTIONAL

11:00pm (1) Stevenson vs (3) Mundelein

Rivals meet for a chance at a state tournament berth when Stevenson travels over to Mundelein to take on the Mustangs early in the afternoon on Saturday. The Patriots have been taking care of business as they look to improve upon last year's second place finish at the state tournament. They must focus on trying to handle a Mustangs' team growing in confidence after avenging a loss to Libertyville from earlier this season. Mike Ward and Jude Krauss both had big games in the win over the Wildcats and will need to be at their best if they hope to outdo the likes of Andrew Shashin, Alex Divanyan, and Mitchell Sokolsky in what should be a fierce battle.

PALATINE SECTIONAL

12:00pm (1) Palatine vs (6) Fremd

The Pirates are one step away from a state tournament berth after outlasting Conant in a tough battle on Friday. They will have to deal with their pesky rivals from across the city when Fremd heads over looking for their third straight upset win in as many games after beating Prospect and Hersey earlier in the week. Dylan Assmann and Luke Stark look to lead the Vikings to a surprise trip to Stevenson next weekend, but they will have to shutdown the formidable trio of Kristian Kalev, Omar El Hoffi, and Wally Kleinfledt in front of what will likely be a packed house.

STAGG SECTIONAL

9:00am (2) Stagg vs (4) Brother Rice

The Chargers have become the favorites to win their own sectional now that top-seeded Curie has been eliminated from the postseason. They should be careful of looking ahead to what would be their first trip to the state tournament in team history, as they are matched up against a Crusaders team that was finally was able to put things together when it mattered most on Friday night when they knocked off the Condors. Can Dan Birmingham and Matt Bachler pull off one more upset to repeat as Stagg Sectional champions or will Connor Kaufmann, Nick Amendola, and Zack Amendola help the Chargers win their first sectional title?

UIC SECTIONAL

1:00pm (1) St Ignatius vs (2) DLS

If the sectional final between St Ignatius and DeLaSalle is anything like last weekend's back-and-forth affair at the Catholic League Tournament, fans in attendance should be in for quite a treat. SICP hopes to make their way back to the state tournament to build on last year's fourth place finish, while DLS is seeking their first state tournament berth in their short history. Each team boasts a well-balanced lineup with several scoring options, so any number of players could emerge as the hero in the final game of the boys' sectional playoffs.