PEORIA — Each week as the Salt Fork Storm have progressed through the postseason, a new team has shown up on the opposite end of the court.

New faces, new names, and new challenges are presented to a Class 1A No. 1-ranked Salt Fork squad hoping to fulfill its ultimate goal this weekend at Peoria’s Carver Arena.

Entering Tuesday’s Illinois State University Super-Sectional game against Peoria Heights, the Storm (31-1) admitted they knew quite a bit less about the Patriots (28-4) than their previous opponents. And today’s 12:15 p.m. state semifinal against Lanark Eastland is not different.

In fact, the Storm possibly know even less about the Cougars than any other team on this season’s schedule. But the Storm aren’t really phased by the unfamiliarity.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that we struggled at the end of the conference season and in the regional,” Salt Fork coach Aaron Hird said. “You’re playing teams that are very, very familiar with you and you are very familiar with. It’s nice now to just go play people that don’t know much about you, you don’t know much about them. Let’s just line up on the floor and see what we can do.”

What they have done so far since winning the Chrisman Regional championship is outscore their opponents by an average of just over 20 points per game.

In the last two contests, the Storm have also shut down two premiere Class 1A guards.

By now it should be no surprise that today’s opposition will present yet another standout guard in Eastland senior Tony Dunlap, Jr. who is coming off a season-high 36 points in a Northern Illinois University Super-Sectional win over Newark.

The point total accounted for just over half of the Cougars’ offensive output.

“I know that 9 of 13 (from three-point range) is a pretty phenomenal evening, 36 points,” Hird said. “Wow! Other than that, I don’t know much about them.”

Dunlap, Jr. has scored 30 or more in three games this season, and has put up at least 20 a total of 18 times.

While the Salt Fork guards will attempt to limit the Cougars’ leading scorer, head coach Tony Dunlap is preparing for a challenge that has caught the attention of nearly every team Salt Fork has faced this season.

And after ringing up 98 points and 47 rebounds in five postseason games, coach Dunlap’s worries about Salt Fork junior Joel Learnard have so far been confirmed.

“The biggest challenge is going to be to stop the inside,” he said. “They are just so big and physical and so athletic. No. 3 (Learnard), every tape I have, he’s just a man amongst boys. If we don’t limit his touches and get better ball pressure, we’ll be in for a long afternoon.

“They’re just a fine, fine team. They have great guards and they defend well. They’re big and physical and strong. We’re pretty tiny and pretty small, so it’s a big challenge.”

The Cougars boast a 6-5, 265 pound junior center, but measure the rest of the squad at 6-2 and smaller, sparking memories of a similarly built team in Peoria Heights.

“Obviously they’re a good team,” Learnard said. “We’re at state, so every team here is going to be good. We just know we have to take care of our business and play our game. We’re going to have to play good basketball if we’re going to come away with wins here at state.

“It’s a neat experience playing in an arena like this. I think it helps that our super-sectional was at a college, too. That will kind of settle our nerves. We’ve played in a place similar to this. We’ve just got to come out and play some of our best basketball. That’s our goal and hopefully we can get some wins.”