Deadlines prohibit me from writing this column after Friday night's game between Coal City and Morris for the Class 3A Herscher Boys Basketball Regional championship.

The local-on-local matchup ensures our prep basketball season will extend into next week. It's also been ensured that, among MDH-area teams, only the winner will keep playing. Gardner-South Wilmington, Minooka and Seneca have all been eliminated, with the latter two making it as far as Wednesday.

I was there for Seneca's exit, which came in the form of a 45-27 loss to Newman at the 2A Byron Sectional. It was the most lopsided loss of the season for the Fighting Irish, and their first since late December by double digits. A Seneca team used to protecting leads and playing close games — the Irish won their two games at the Bureau Valley Regional by a total of four points — was put in an unfamiliar position when Newman bolted to a 17-6 first-quarter lead.