UPDATE: Sandburg's Chris Pajak is Patch MVP

Sandburg wrestling standout Chris Pajak outpolled seven others in voting for Southland Patch MVP, Feb. 18-24. He is now eligible for Patch Athlete of the Month honors.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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Boys Basketball: Sandburg's Dace Goes Straight to the Point

Without their starting point guard, the Eagles counted on Brian Dace to run the offense Friday night.

Brian Dace is usually a shooting guard or a guard doubling as a forward in Sandburg coach Todd Allen's lineup. On Friday night against Bolingbrook, Dace moved from the shooting guard working the wings to running the offense at point guard, out of necessity. "Brian Dace has never played the point in his life, and I thought he really did a nice job for us,” Allen said after the Eagles’ 47-33 loss to the Raiders. “(Thursday’s) practice was a crash course for him running all the plays.” Dace, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior, was solid defensively for the Eagles. He picked up a key steal and an offensive rebound. Offensively, he was one of just three scorers for Sandburg. He finished with six points and an assist. Sandburg's usual starting point …

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Boys Basketball: Short-handed Sandburg Falls to Bolingbrook

Bolingbrook 47, Sandburg 33: The Eagles, playing without their leading scorer and leading rebounder, went cold against the visiting Raiders.

The Skinny: The Sandburg Eagles were without their leading scorer, Nick Lehnerer, and their leading rebounder, Malik Harris, for undisclosed reasons Friday night. The two were sorely missed. The Bolingbrook Raiders were able to jump out in front early on, using a 15-2 second-quarter run en route to a 47-33 victory in Orland Park. The Raiders coasted to a 22-15 lead at the half, and they sealed the win by shutting down Sandburg in the third. Patch MVP: Bolingbrook's Nick Malonga had 14 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Key Stats: The Eagles were just 12-for-33 from the floor, including 2-for-18 from behind the 3-point arc. Bolingbrook was 12-for-34 from the floor, including 5-for-13 from 3-point range. The Raiders …

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Weekly Sportscast: McLegends Basketball, Baseball and Softball Unbeatens, L-Way North Signings & More

An all-star team of high school boys showed up their professional counterparts in the annual McDonald's McLegends basketball game.

Thornton's Jeremy Parker scored a team-high 21 points and Homewood-Flossmoor's Julian Lewis chipped in 17 as the high school boys downed their professional counterparts 123-122 in overtime at the annual McDonald's McLegends game. The Legends team featured household NFL names like Antwaan Randle El and Rodney Harrison testing their skills in a game of basketball. For more on the story, click here. Brandon Magallones fired a two-hitter and struck out 12 in Providence's 9-1 baseball victory over Marian Catholic. For more on the story, click here. Providence remains unbeaten and rates No. 1 in our Patch Baseball Power Rankings. To view the rankings, click here. Stagg is 15-0 and rates No. 1 in our Patch Softball Power Rankings. To view the …

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PatchCast: A Daily Video Report

Daily PatchCast: Ice Lawsuit, Facebook Fake and Baby Surprise

A daily video recap of the Southland's top stories

Tinley Ice and Teehan Family Named in Anti-Trust Suit Oh, Baby! Local Woman Didn't Know She Was Pregnant Village Administrators: Facebook Page 'Not Authorized' Boys Basketball: Homewood-Flossmoor Falls Short against Crete-Monee

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Hoops: These Boys are Flying High

Sports Editor Ron Kremer ranks the region's top boys basketball teams from 1-5, plus the five knocking on the door.

1. Homewood-Flossmoor (22-5): Tim Williams, a 6-7 junior forward, looks more and more like his old self every time out. He returned from an ankle injury recently to give the Vikings a bigger presence in the lane. When opponents collapse on him, H-F has more room to operate on the perimeter. The Vikings hit 9-of-16 three-pointers through the first three quarters in a 66-34 victory over Marian Catholic. Next: Tonight vs. Plainfield Central in Class 4A Plainfield Central Regional title game. 2. Bloom (16-10): The Blazing Trojans’ season has played out like a roller-coaster ride. One day, they’re up. The next day, they’re down. Junior guard Donald Moore led the latest uptick. He scored 12 points, had three assists and three steals in a 41-34 …

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Boys Basketball: L-Way East Slams Door Shut on Sandburg

Lincoln-Way East 45, Sandburg 32. Griffins explode for 21 points in the fourth quarter, earn a spot in the Class 4A Lincoln-Way North Regional title game.

The Hot Read: The third meeting of the season between Lincoln-Way East and Sandburg played out like a chess match for three quarters. Then, the Griffins cracked the Eagles with a fourth-quarter flurry in a 45-32 boys basketball victory on Wednesday night at the Class 4A Lincoln-Way North Regional. The Griffins closed the game on a 21-11 run after entering the fourth quarter clinging to a 24-21 lead. Key Stats: Sandburg made just 7-of-19 shots from the free-throw line. Lincoln-Way East converted 12-of-15 from the line. Sandburg also was just 11-of-45 from the floor. The Griffins were 15-of-38. Patch MVP: Lincoln-Way East's Zoran Arsenovic scored 15 points and had a pair of steals in the win for the Griffins. Lincoln-Way East Leaders: Zoran …

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PatchCast: A Daily Video Report

Daily PatchCast: School Cuts, Lawsuit and Boys Basketball

A daily video recap of the Southland's top stories

Over 5 Years, Enrollment in District 135 Drops by 591 Students District 153 Lays Out Cuts Should Tax Hike Vote Fail Workers File Lawsuit Against New Lenox Staffing Agency Medina Makes Rounds on Media Circuit as Single Gains Steam Boys Basketball: Oak Lawn Holds Off Argo

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Extra Points: Defensive Switch Spearheads Sandburg's Win over Joliet West

Move from zone to man-to-man with the lead works wonders for visiting Eagles.

Sandburg was leading early in the fourth quarter Friday night by playing mostly 2-3 zone defense against more athletic Joliet West team. Then, the Eagles switched to man-to-man. It’s supposed to happen the other way around. Most teams would play man-to-man, get a lead, then sit back in a zone to protect it. “We were absolutely getting killed on the boards, and that can happen in a zone,” Sandburg coach Todd Allen said. “I thought the guys did a much better job rebounding the basketball in our man-to-man.” Joliet West did not score a fourth-quarter basket until midway through the final quarter. That allowed Sandburg to pull away for a 49-41 road win in the SouthWest Suburban Conference finale for both teams. Sandburg won 11 of its last 15 …

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