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Warrensburg-Latham plays Pleasant Plains in the
Class 3A state final at Clinton Junior High on Saturday. The first round
begins at 11:30 a.m. If Warrensburg-Latham wins, they will go on to
play the winner of the St. Joseph-Petersburg PORTA game at 6 p.m.
The state final will played at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. [Watch for
scores and updates
here.] Class 1A games will be played at the
Divernon High School gym. Class 2A will be hosted by Normal Epiphany
at Bloomington Central Catholic High School. Clinton Junior High
will be the site for Class 3A. Stanford Olympia will host Class 4A.
Five schools advanced their eighth-grade team to the state
tournament while their seventh-grade team played in this week's
tournaments. Schools qualifying teams to both state finals are
Ottawa Wallace in Class 1A, Effingham St. Anthony in Class 2A, Paris
Mayo in Class 3A, and Mattoon and Forrest Prairie Central in Class
4A. The time schedule for all four tournaments will be
the same. Quarterfinals will be played Saturday, with the first of
four games beginning at 10 a.m. The four quarterfinal winners will
meet in semifinal games Saturday night, with the first of two games
set to begin at 6 p.m. Third-place and championship games will be
played Thursday, with the third-place game set for 6 p.m. and the
championship game scheduled for 7:30.
 The price of
admission Saturday is $7 for adults, $3 for senior citizens 62 and
over and students K-8, and is good for all games Saturday. Children
younger than kindergarten are admitted free. Fans attending the
games Saturday will receive a wristband that is to be worn all day
and will be used for entry into the facility throughout the day. The
price of admission for the third-place and championship game session
Thursday will be $5 for adults and $2 for seniors and students K-8.
Children younger than kindergarten again are admitted free. IESA
girls basketball began in 1979. From 1979-86 there was one-class
competition, and in 1986 separate state series were conducted for
seventh-graders and eighth-graders for the first time. From
1990-2005 there were Class A and Class AA state series for both
seventh grade and eighth grade. This year the seventh-grade and
eighth-grade series have four classes each.
The 2006 state tournament format and playing schedule is
different than in previous years. Until this year, 16 Class A and
Class AA teams in seventh grade and eighth grade advanced to two
respective 16-team state finals, and competition was conducted in a
four-day format.
Complete pairings for each state final, plus the FanZone, are
available at www.iesa.org. Click
on the "Girls Basketball" line in the orange box at the top of the
home page.
Here is a look at each of the four eighth-grade final
tournaments:
Class 1A
Five of the eight teams come into the quarterfinal round with 19
or more wins. The combined won-loss record of the eight is 138-33, a
winning percentage of .807. That includes East St. Louis Jackson at
6-9.
Ottawa Wallace, the largest school in the field, meets Pana
Sacred Heart, the smallest school in the Class 1A tournament, in the
last quarterfinal game Saturday. Ottawa Wallace is 20-4 in
eighth-grade games, while Pana Sacred Heart is 19-2. Ottawa Wallace
has three members of the seventh-grade team playing up on the
eighth-grade team. The trio -- Jessica Jessen, Rosa Williams and
Alyssa Winchester -- scored 25 of the seventh-grade team’s 29 points
in its 30-29 quarterfinal loss to London Mills Valley. Pana Sacred
Heart lists just seven players on its roster.
Crescent City (19-3) meets Washington St. Patrick (19-3) in the
first quarterfinal game. Only four of the 12 players on Crescent
City’s roster are eighth-graders, with five in seventh grade and
three sixth-graders. Washington St. Patrick has 5-10 eighth-grader
Lexie Barra in the post. Crescent City has no one on its roster
taller than 5-3.
In the second quarterfinal game, Griggsville-Perry (17-3) battles
Decatur Our Lady of Lourdes (21-3). Marlee Bradshaw, at 5-8, is the
Eagles’ tallest player. Decatur Our Lady of Lourdes can counter with
5-7 center Hannah House.
East St. Louis Jackson center Janell Anthony is 5-9 and will have
to battle a front line from Royal Prairieview Ogden that can include
5-10 Rachel Mullvain, 5-9 Katelyn Behrens and 5-8 Katie Trail. Royal
Prairieview Ogden is the tallest team in the field.
Of the 87 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, one is
a fifth-grader, nine are sixth-graders, 20 are seventh-graders and
57 are eighth-graders.
In IESA competition, school enrollments are determined by the
students in seventh and eighth grade. Class 1A is the smallest
class. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as follows: Pana
Sacred Heart, 21; Washington St. Patrick, 38; Crescent City, 40;
East St. Louis Jackson, 44; Griggsville-Perry, 61; Decatur Our Lady
of Lourdes, 61; Royal Prairieview Ogden, 63; and Ottawa Wallace, 73.
Class 2A
Four of the eight finalists bring unbeaten records into the
quarterfinals, and all eight have at least 20 wins. The combined
won-loss record of the eight teams is a staggering 179-8, a winning
percentage of .957. One of the unbeaten teams is in each
quarterfinal game.
In the opener, 24-0 Winchester faces 20-3 Effingham St. Anthony.
Winchester boasts 5-10 Tiffany King in the post, with 5-6 Andrea
Lietz, 5-7 Rachel Ross and 5-6 Kirsten Jefferson available for the
front line. St. Anthony has 5-9 Leah Dallmier at center and can put
5-6 Maggie Brown, 5-7 Megan Zumbahlen, 5-6 Cheslyn Litke or 5-7
Samantha Zerrusen on the floor at forward.
Peoria Pleasant Valley (20-0) faces Champaign Judah Christian
(23-1) in the second quarterfinal. With 5-10 Natecia Augusta in the
middle, the Panthers also have 5-8 Laparis Williams and 5-8 Jessica
Sacco at forward. Champaign Judah Christian, with only eight players
on the roster, has 5-8 Uzuri Williams at center.
[to top of second column] |
Perennial powers Normal Epiphany (25-0) and Springfield Blessed
Sacrament (23-1) square off in the third quarterfinal game. It has
the potential to be a state tournament classic. Epiphany has a front
line that can include 5-10 Jess Reinhart, 5-9 Ellen Walters and 5-9
Mia Hartung, but guard Allie Norton may hold the key to any Epiphany
success. Blessed Sacrament has 5-11 Kasi Korza, 5-9 Eria Saal, 5-8
Molly Drake and 5-8 Carly Coe up front to go with 5-6 guards Maria
Lewis, Emily Delvo, Morgan Brinker and Lauren Reiser.
In the nightcap, unbeaten LaHarpe (24-0) meets Seneca (20-3) in
another battle of perennial powerhouses. LaHarpe is led by 5-10
center Carter Wear and has 5-6 Bali Campbell at forward. No other
player for the Eagles is taller than 5-5. Tallest players for Seneca
are 5-8 center Victoria Imes and 5-8 forward Vanessa Albarran.
Of the 86 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, 10 are
seventh-graders and 76 are eighth-graders.
Schools in Class 2A have the second-smallest seventh- and
eighth-grade enrollments. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as
follows: LaHarpe, 80; Springfield Blessed Sacrament, 84; Champaign
Judah Christian, 90; Peoria Pleasant Valley, 95; Normal Epiphany,
96; Effingham St. Anthony, 99; Winchester, 119; and Seneca, 136.
Class 3A
Unbeaten Warrensburg-Latham (22-0) heads the Class 3A field,
which includes six teams with at least 20 wins. Perennial powerhouse
Paris Mayo (24-1) has the most wins. Three members of the Mayo team
played Thursday for the seventh-grade Class 3A title. They are 5-4
guard Macy Winkler, 5-8 forward Harley Wilson and 5-8 center Ashley
Lawrence. Warrensburg-Latham and Paris Mayo are in opposite
brackets.
The combined won-loss record of the eight finalists is 162-20, a
winning percentage of .890.
Petersburg PORTA (21-1) meets St. Joseph (18-3) in the first
quarterfinal game. St. Joseph has 5-10 Meghan Martz in the post.
Petersburg PORTA has no player taller than 5-7.
In the second quarterfinal Warrensburg-Latham faces Pleasant
Plains (15-7). Warrensburg-Latham is not a big team, with 5-8
forward Alyssa Riley the only player taller than 5-6 among the 12
players on the roster. Pleasant Plains matches up with the
Cardinals. Pleasant Plains has 5-8 Nicole Henderson and 5-7 Jenna
Sudeth at center, with 5-7 Savannah Little and 5-8 Josie Bensko at
forward.
A pair of 21-win teams will meet in the third quarterfinal game.
El Paso-Gridley (21-4) battles Bushnell-Prairie City (21-2) in the 1
p.m. game. Bushnell-Prairie City has the height advantage. The Lady
Braves have 5-10 Anne Rauschert at center and 5-8 Bridjet Blout at
forward. El Paso-Gridley lists three of its 12 players at 5-7. They
are forwards Braden Hickey, Gwen Romines and Lexi Lindsey.
Paris Mayo faces a challenge in 20-2 Calumet City Schrum in the
final quarterfinal game of the day. Schrum has 5-10 Diamond Crosby
at center, with 5-7 Kiara Lewis and 5-7 Sharia Coleman available for
front-line duty. Center Jenny Knoepfel is the tallest Paris Mayo
player, at 5-9. The tournament experience gained by Macy Winkler,
Harley Wilson and Ashley Lawrence in the seventh-grade Class 3A
state final could be a factor in the game.
Of the 98 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, 16 are
seventh-graders and 82 are eighth-graders.
Schools in Class 3A have the second-largest seventh- and
eighth-grade enrollments. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as
follows: St. Joseph, 160; Bushnell-Prairie City, 172; El
Paso-Gridley, 178; Warrensburg-Latham, 183; Pleasant Plains, 189;
Paris Mayo, 191; Calumet City Schrum, 224; and Petersburg PORTA,
263.
Class 4A
There are four unbeaten teams in Class 4A and three of them are
in the top bracket: Springfield Franklin (19-0), Country Club Hills
Southwood (18-0) and Granite City Grigsby (17-0). The other unbeaten
is East Peoria Central (22-0) in the lower bracket.
The eight schools bring a dazzling combined won-loss record of
164-8, a winning percentage of .953, into the tournament. Only one
school -- Mattoon with four -- has more than two losses. The only
team in the upper bracket with a loss on its record is Mokena, and
the Meteors are 22-1. The race for the first-ever eighth-grade Class
4A championship should be a great one.
Unbeaten Springfield Franklin faces Mokena in the opening
quarterfinal game. Mokena has 6-0 center Amanda West, and
Springfield Franklin can counter with 5-11 center Amber Cason.
Granite City Grigsby, a first-year member school in IESA, can put
a lineup on the floor with no player shorter than 5-6. The Gators
can draw from 5-9 seventh-grade center Mariah Hutchins, and 5-9
Natalie Anderson, 5-8 Halley Robertson, 5-9 Ashley Deckard or 5-7
Kelsie Vandergriff, all eighth-graders. Country Club Hills Southwood
can match up with 5-9 Kristina Collie, 5-8 Raven Logan and 5-8
Sidnica Esco.
Bolingbrook Humphrey (23-2) faces Forrest Prairie Central (23-1)
in the third quarterfinal game. Bolingbrook Humphrey will pit its
athleticism against Forrest Prairie Central, whose seventh-grade
team was beaten for the first (and only) time in the Class 4A
quarterfinals Dec. 2. A comparison of their roster heights shows
them to be nearly identical.
Mattoon brings a 20-4 record into its quarterfinal game against
East Peoria Central. Mattoon boasts the tallest roster in the field,
with three players -- center Bre Sanders, forward Holli Gromelski
and center Shannon Lowry -- listed at 5-9. East Peoria Central,
coached by former Ms. Illinois Basketball Tammy VanOppen, has only
two players taller than 5-6. They are 5-9 center Paige Ashley and
5-8 center Kelsey Shoemake.
Of the 102 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, 24 are
seventh-graders and 78 are eighth-graders.
Schools in Class 4A have the largest seventh- and eighth-grade
enrollments. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as follows:
Forrest Prairie Central, 335; Country Club Hills Southwood, 360;
East Peoria Central, 417; Bolingbrook Humphrey, 519; Mattoon, 528;
Springfield Franklin, 516; Mokena, 591; and Granite City Grigsby,
758.
[IESA news release] |
