Basketball
The class 2A girls basketball Macomb Sectional included amongst its four teams, three that were ranked in last week’s AP poll and one that was receiving votes. They were all in action last night in semi-final games at Macomb High School.. The first game of the night featured the 9th ranked Illini West Chargers and Normal U-High, who received a vote in the 2A poll last week. It was all Normal U-High from the opening tip, as the Pioneers shut out the Chargers in the first quarter and led 24-10 at the half. The lead got to 33-10 three minutes into the 3rd quarter and the final on the scoreboard read 42-25 at the final horn. Illini West ends their season at (27-4). Normal U-High will take a (23-10) record into Thursday night’s sectional championship game. The second semi-final of the night from Macomb had a pair of top-6 ranked teams battling for the second spot in the title game. The 3rd ranked Quincy Notre Dame Lady Raiders took on the 6th ranked Knoxville Blue Bullets. The Lady Raiders led 15-12 after the first eight minutes and 25-21 at the half. Knoxville’s offense finally got untracked in the 3rd quarter as the Blue Bullets forged a 28-all tie heading to the fourth period. That Knoxville offense would stall and the QND defensed ratcheted up a notch in the final eight minutes, with the Lady Raiders shutting out the Bullets in the 4th quarter, eventually getting a 39-28 win. Knoxville, who end their year at (28-5), was led by Breena Shreeves’ 14 points. QND senior Sydney Hummert led all scorers with 19 points. The Lady Raiders are (25-3) and will take a 6-game winning streak into the 7:00 sectional championship game on Thursday night vs. Normal U-High.
Class 3A and 4A girls basketball teams got their regional tournaments started last night. In the 3A Canton regional quarterfinal, the host Little Giants beat Peoria Manual 48-17. The 3A Galesburg regional got underway last night as well. It was Limestone 41 and Peoria Notre Dame 36. Limestone will play Peoria Central tonight at 6:00 at Galesburg High School’s John Thiel Gym. The host Silver Streaks battle their Western Big Six Conference rivals, Rock Island in the second semi-final at 7:30. Galesburg ended the regular season at (18-13), while the Lady Rocks sport an overall record of (22-9). The regional championship game is set for Thursday night at 7:00.
In boys basketball last night, it was a match up of two of the top teams in the Lincoln Trail Conference going at it in Kewanee. The Princeville Princes trailed the Wethersfield Flying Geese 29-11 at one point but would come back to win 54-53. That gives Princeville an LTC record of (6-1), a full game over Wethersfield, Ridgewood and United at (5-2). Annawan is (5-1) in league play.
