There’s one thing Z-B can learn from Wheeling

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Zion (Class 4A) and Grayslake Central (3A) are still standing in the IHSA playoffs. Shown here are the Rams’ Claire Brennan (left) and Zion’s Sam Rodriguez. | SUN-TIMES MEDIA FILE PHOTO.

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:53AM

Points pondered while watching a cable TV news-show debate over whether Barack Obama’s opponent in the November election will be Romney, Santorum or the price of a gallon of gasoline.

■ While conceding that Zion-Benton’s girls basketball team arrived late to the party this year, truth is, nobody showed up later than Wheeling, which was 1-14 at one point and is 14-18 now.

The fact that Z-B had a spinning-your-wheels type of regular season (18-8 before the tourney started), following last year’s heart-thumping run to a second-place finish in the state tournament can explain the lack of buzz around this year’s Bees squad.

But that said, Wheeling’s fan turnout for its sectional-semifinal thumping of Warren was huge, and there figure to be five or six Wildcat fans for every Zee-Bee backer in the gym at Palatine at 7:30 on Thursday night.

■ Late in the regular season, Zion-Benton’s Hall of Fame coach, Tanya Johnson, told a reporter she’d had to empty out her bag of tricks this year and tried everything she knew to motivate her club to play championship-style ball.

Thank goodness that whatever she came up with has worked.

■ As for the buzz in the Palatine gym on Monday, neutral observers were impressed with Zion’s win over Stevenson and like their side in a matchup with Wheeling.

Those of us who are non-neutral observers are confident the game won’t be close.

■ The nine regular visitors to this corner of the newspaper world know the crystal ball that’s gazed into here to see into the future is completely fogged up 98 percent of the time.

The other two percent is pretty sure Zion-Benton’s girls basketball team will be better next year than it is this year, and will be a contender to be playing in the Final Four state tournament.

And, yes, we know that the team’s best player — all-everything center Octavia Crump — is graduating.

■ Here’s one view from the bleachers regarding the Class 3A sectional girls basketball championship game on Thursday night at St. Viator in Arlington Heights, matching area super-powers Vernon Hills and Grayslake Central.

On the court, it’s a classic matchup between Grayslake’s swarming, guard-oriented defense and Vernon Hills’ strong, dominating front line.

But everybody knows that. The interesting observation made by a hoops fan was this:

The difference between the two teams is clear, he said. The difference between the two fan bases is that if one team loses, it will feel like it had a great season with 20-plus wins, a division title and a regional title.

And if the other team loses, given the marshmallowy competition waiting at the Round of 8 super-sectional level, it will feel like an opportunity lost.

■ On a positive note ...

Think of the few dollars saved this winter because you didn’t break the ice-scraper trying to clean your car windshield on a sub-zero January morning.

■ What are the odds of Zion-Benton’s girls basketball team going on a huge scoring run Thursday night against Wheeling?

So far, the Bees’ tourney surge has featured a 17-0 closing run to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat, a 23-9 closing run to save the day again, and a 22-0 first-half run that put the team ahead for good.

Best guess is they won’t need one this time.

Better to save it for Monday, when it WILL be needed.