Tournament Tidbits: Day 4, 2009

Saints boys going for two titles?
When Bloomington Central Catholic and top-seed Minonk Fieldcrest tip off in the final game on Thursday evening, they’ll be going for the 2009 boys 1A/2A tournament crown. A Fieldcrest win would give the Knights their first State Farm Holiday Classic championship. A Saint win would give Central Catholic its third Holiday Classic title – all in the past four years – and would also give the Saints the unofficial title of the winningest team in tournament history. With three wins thus far this year, Central Catholic is 56-41 all-time in Holiday Classic tournament play. Normal U-High is 56-50 after going 1-3 this year.

Saints girls seeking a repeat performance The girls 1A/2A State Farm Holiday Classic championship is a rematch of the 2008 title game – top-seed Bloomington Central Catholic and No. 2 seed Brimfield. Last year, the Saints beat the Indians 60-36. A win on Thursday afternoon would give the Saints its third tournament title, eighth straight tournament win and 46th straight regular season victory. Brimfield hopes to end those streaks behind the play of Division 1 signees Paige Spietz (Missouri) and Kelsey Herridge (Army).

City showdown
On Dec. 10, Springfield High handed Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin a 20-point defeat. Thursday afternoon, the two face off again, this time for the girls 3A/4A Holiday Classic title. Springfield’s lone loss on the year is to Peoria Richwoods, whom Sacred Heart-Griffin beat to reach Thursday’s final.

Comfortable surroundings
With an 88-point semifinal performance, Rockton Hononegah earned its place in its third consecutive boys 3A/4A championship game. The Indians won its only title two years ago, and lost in last year’s final to Normal Community but has appeared in five of the last seven championship games. This year, the Indians face tournament newcomer – and defending state champion – Champaign Centennial. In an oddity, Hononegah has now appeared in the championship game of every odd year – 2003, 2005, 2007 and now 2009 – since it returned to Bloomington-Normal in 2002.

Tournament records

• Keelan Prince of Rock Island Alleman made his first three free throws Wednesday, giving him 19 consecutive FTs made. Prince then missed on his 20th attempt and finished 20-of-21 overall. The 19 straight FTs breaks a record from 1999 (Ben Lee, Olympia, 17).
• Rock Island Alleman’s girls team set two free throw shooting records. In four games, the Pioneers made 76 free throws in 111 attempts. Both are records. The previous mark for free throws made by one team in the tournament was Galesburg girls (70 in 2000). The previous mark for free throw attempts was Geneseo, which shot 102 in 2004.

Milestone
Congratulations to Bloomington High senior Teasha Harris, who surpassed the 1,000 career point mark in the Purple Raiders loss to Normal West.

Tournament Tidbits: Day 3, 2009

Close calls
All four No. 1 seeds played quarterfinal games Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. All four prevailed to reach the semi-finals, but three of them – Minonk Fieldcrest (1A/2A boys), Champaign Centennial (3A/4A boys) and Peoria Richwoods (3A/4A girls) – needed overtime. Fieldcrest boys and Richwoods girls both sent their games to overtime with a three-pointer as Fieldcrest’s Taylor Baxter and Richwoods’ Mariah Smith knotted their games with late baskets. The other No. 1 seed, Bloomington Central Catholic girls, cruised into the semifinals with its 44th consecutive regular season win.

Wild(cat) Knight
The Richwoods/Normal West quarterfinal actually went to double overtime, and it was the first girls game since 2002 to need eight extra minutes. Richwoods’ 82 points ties the second highest point total ever in girls tournament play and the 82-72 game between the Knights and Wildcats established some new tournament records:

• The teams combined for 51 free throws made (Richwoods was 26-of-39 and Normal West was 25-of-33) – the previous record of 39 was set in 2004 by Geneseo and Tinley Park Andrew. The 72 free-throw attempts is just one shy of a tourney record.
• The teams combined for 49 points in the third quarter (Richwoods 30, Normal West 19) – That eclipses the 2006 game when Rock Island (30) and Chicago Hope (18) combined for 48 points in one quarter.
• Richwoods 30-point third quarter tied the record established by Rock Island in 2006
• The 17 points Richwoods tallied in two overtimes is the most ever for an overtime session in girls tournament play.

Been there
The 1A/2A boys semifinals features some familiar faces. Only Minonk Fieldcrest was not a semi-finalist last year. For Stanford Olympia, which faces Fieldcrest, this is its second straight trip to the final four. Neither the Spartans nor Knights have appeared in a State Farm Holiday Classic championship game, so tonight’s winner will be a first-time finalist. The other semi-final pits last year’s champ, Peoria Christian, against Bloomington Central Catholic. This is the Chargers third straight semi-final appearance (they are 2-0), and this is the fifth straight year the Saints have appeared in the final four after a 10-year drought between semifinal appearances.

In boys 3A/4A, Rockton Hononegah is one win away from its fifth title game appearance in the past seven years.
In girls 1A/2A play, Bloomington Central Catholic will be appearing in its third straight semi-final appearance. Tonight, the Saints put a 44-game regular season winning streak on the line against Kankakee Bishop McNamara.
In girls 3A/4A, Peoria Richwoods is trying to reach the title game for the sixth time in the past eight years. Richwoods owns the best winning percentage of any Holiday Classic team ever – at 30-4 (.882).

Notable milestones

• Gina Hinders became Champaign St. Thomas More’s all-time career rebounder with 679 with her rebound mid-way through the first quarter in a quarterfinal win Tuesday night over Pana.
• Bloomington High senior Amanda Hainlen (1,005 career points) reached the 1,000 point plateau in the Purple Raiders loss to Springfield-Sacred Heart Griffin. Teammate Teasha Harris is just seven points away from reaching 1,000 in her career.

Automatic
So far, when Rock Island Alleman senior Keelan Prince has been fouled, he has been automatic at the free-throw line. Entering play Wednesday, Prince is 16-of-16 in three State Farm Holiday Classic games. Ben Lee of Stanford Olympia owns the boys tournament record for consecutive free throws. Lee had 17 in a row in 1999. Dating back to prior to the Holiday Classic, Prince has made 25 straight free throws over five games.

Bloomington Central Catholic center Jess Reinhart has also been an eagle eye, converting all 11 of her free throws in the Saints first two games. Reinhart’s half-way to the all-time girls tournament record, which was set in 2002 by Seneca’s Erin Smith (22 straight). As a team, Reinhart’s Saints are shooting 83 percent from the line in the tournament.

Tournament Tidbits: Day 2, 2009

Saints go marching on
Bloomington Central Catholic’s girls started the 2009 State Farm Holiday Classic the same way it ended last year’s tournament – with a blowout win. Last year, the Saints won by 43, 26, 21 and 24 en route to a tournament title. This year, top-seeded Central Catholic wasted no time, jumping out to a 25-2 lead on its way to a 30-point win over 2007 Holiday Classic champion, Rochester.

The Saints boys team used a 19-point run to start the second half to open up a 35-point lead en route to a 57-35 win over CPCI. The win also brings the Saints to 54 total wins in State Farm Holiday Classic history, just one behind Normal U-High’s boys for the most in tournament history.

Almost perfect 10s
In the first three games involving 7 vs. 10 seeds, the No. 10 seed prevailed – Peoria Christian’s boys over Kankakee Bishop McNamara; Mahomet-Seymour’s boys over Peoria Notre Dame; and Normal U-High’s girls over Sterling. The final 10 seed, St. Joseph-Ogden, could not pull off the upset and fell to Camp Point Central/Augusta Southeastern.

Perfect 10 and 11 lead the Pioneers
Normal U-High’s upset win was sparked by a quick start to the fourth quarter, and a steady finish down the stretch. U-High trailed Sterling 36-32 after three quarters before a 10-0 run gave the Pioneers a six-point lead. Strong free-throw shooting down the stretch (the Pioneers were 17-for-20 for the game) led by Alyssa Palmer’s perfect 11-for-11 performance at the charity stripe fueled the upset win.

Palmer wasn’t the only eagle eye. Trent Swigert, a Macon Meridian Hawk, was 10-for-10 on free throws in Meridian’s first-round win.

Intercity clash ahead?
Since the season-opening girls Intercity Tournament, which was won by small school entry Bloomington Central Catholic, the four Bloomington-Normal area large-school entries are a sizzling 29-3 (Bloomington is 7-0, Normal Community is 8-2, Normal U-High is 6-1 and Normal West is 8-0). All four won their first-round games Monday and all four are in quarterfinal tilts on Tuesday. Will the hot streaks continue? All four are the higher seeded team – No. 8 Normal West vs. No. 1 Peoria Richwoods; No. 5 Bloomington vs. No. 4 Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin; No. 10 Normal U-High vs. No. 2 Springfield; No. 11 Normal Community vs. No. 3 Park Ridge Maine South.

Clashing styles
Normal U-High’s boys held North Chicago to 37 points below its season average. The Warhawks still prevailed in their State Farm Holiday Classic debut, 53-45.

Good – and not so good – start
North Chicago and the other four boys teams making their State Farm Holiday Classic debuts – Champaign Centennial, Chicago Providence St. Mel, Mahomet-Seymour and Culver (Ind.) Military Academy – went 5-0 in first-round action.
On the girls side, two tournament newcomers faced off with Springfield beating Metamora. The four other new entries to the girls fields – Annawan, Belvidere North, Peoria Christian and Sterling – all lost in their opening games.

Tough start
In large school girls games, Chicago John Hope and Normal West were both assessed technical fouls to start the game due to a National Federation of High Schools uniform rule infraction.

Record setters

• In boys tournament play, Rock Island and Sterling combined for 20 three-pointers (10 each). That ties the tournament record set in 2001 by Galesburg (11)/Chicago St. Rita (9) and 2004 by Peoria Christian (12)/Addison Driscoll (8). Illini head coach Bruce Weber and Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott were among the notables in attendance – to see Rocks junior Chasson Randle.
• In girls tournament play, Maine South attempted 40 free throws in its victory over Chicago Hope. That ties the large school tournament record – set by Edwardsville when it took 40 free throws in a game in 2003. The Hawks made 26; back in 2003, Edwardsville made 24 of its 40 attempts.

Milestone Watch
Bloomington High seniors Amanda Hainlen and Teasha Harris are closing in on 1,000 career points. Hainlen enters second-round play with 990 points, while Harris has 977. Two other Holiday Classic participants recently reached the 1,000 point plateau. Peoria Notre Dame senior Elle Bielfeldt reached 1,000 points on Dec. 15 and Minonk Fieldcrest’s Nathan Ropp hit the milestone on Dec. 19.

Also, visit http://theclassic.org/2009/2009/12/28/tournament-tidbits-day-1-2009/ for more tidbits that were posted prior to Day 1.

Tournament Tidbits: Day 1, 2009

David vs. Goliath or a clash of the titans?
In the Girls 1A-2A bracket, the past two champions square off in the first round in a 1 vs. 16 match-up. Bloomington Central Catholic, the defending champ and tourney’s top seed, squares off against Rochester, the 2007 champ. The Rockets knocked off Central Catholic for the 2007 title. Both teams are also vying for the 30th win all-time at the State Farm Holiday Classic – Rochester is 29-11 in 10 appearances and Bloomington Central Catholic is 29-16 in 12 appearances.

Pioneers may lead the way
If Rock Island Alleman’s girls team wins its first-round game against Normal Community, the Pioneers will take the lead in all-time victories in girls play at the State Farm Holiday Classic. Alleman is tied with Galesburg with 34 wins.

Looking to run?
North Chicago enters 3A-4A boys tournament play with a field-best 90 ppg average. North Chicago has scored at least 95 points three times in its first seven games – hitting 95 twice and 114 once.

Raiders seek a new streak
In last year’s tournament, Quincy Notre Dame lost for the first time ever in the first round (9-1 now all-time on day one). Today, the Raiders look to stop that losing streak – and start a new winning streak. QND faces Springfield in the first round – and Springfield is the only team to beat QND’s intra-city rival, Quincy, this year.

Welcome
Eleven teams will be making their State Farm Holiday Classic debuts today, and a 12th team (Downs Tri-Valley girls) is returning after an eight-year absence. In boys play, newcomers include defending state champion and large school boys top-seed Champaign Centennial; Chicago Providence St. Mel; Mahomet-Seymour; North Chicago; and Culver (Ind.) Military Academy.

Among the girls teams that are newcomers, the small school bracket features Annawan and Peoria Christian. Four teams will make their State Farm Holiday Classic debuts in the Girls large school field, including second-seed Springfield, Belvidere North, Metamora and Sterling.