Girls Basketball
The 4th ranked team in the last Class 4A AP poll, the Rock Island Lady Rocks took on the top-ranked team in 4A, Edwardsville, in the Champaign Centennial Sectional championship. Before a packed house, the Edwardsville Tigers defeat the Rocks 48-44 in overtime. It was only the second in-state loss of the season for Rock Island and they end the season at (24-8). Six of those losses came to teams from beyond the Illinois borders as the Lady Rocks played a nationally-ranked type schedule. The game was somewhat controversial with Edwardsville shooting 23 free throws to Rock Island’s 2 charity tosses. The foul total disparity was 21-7 in favor of the Tigers. Rock Island led 24-17 at the half but could not hold on. All of Edwardsville’s points in overtime came from the free throw line. Chrislyn Carr scored 15 points for the Lady Rocks in her last high school game before taking her talents to Texas Tech next fall. Defending Ms. Basketball for Illinois, Brea Beal, also scored 15 in the game for Rock Island. With the win, Edwardsville remains unbeaten at (29-0) and will move on to the Bloomington Super Sectional on Monday.
At a sold-out Class 3A Sectional championship game in Dunlap, the AP top-ranked team in 3A took on the 2nd ranked team in the last poll, the Morton Potters. Morton is the 3-time defending champ in Class 3A but there will be a different champ crowned this season as the Potters were beaten soundly by Peoria Richwoods 49-29. Richwoods, at (32-1) will now head to the Coal City Super Sectional on Monday and will play Kankakee. The Kays defeated Kankakee McNamara 48-46.
