Special Edition of Tournament Tidbits: Championship game previews
3:30 p.m.: Girls 3A-4A: Maine South vs. Champaign Centennial
- Both teams have hardware history at the Classic – Maine South has one 2nd place and two 4th place trophies in four previous appearances, Centennial finished 3rd last year in its debut – which one will claim its first title?
- Interesting tidbit: This is the only title game in which one of the top two seeds advanced to the championship – and both did!
5:10 p.m.: Boys 3A-4A: Normal Community vs. Springfield
- This is the sixth championship game appearance for the Ironmen, which matches Thornwood for most all-time in boys tournament play. (Note: Normal won titles in 1975, 1985 and 2008).
- Normal Community’s Anthony Beane has scored 52 percent of the Ironmen’s points during the first three games of the tournament.
- Interesting tidbit: Springfield is the first No. 15 seed ever to advance to a Holiday Classic title game.
6:50 p.m.: Girls 1A-2A: El Paso-Gridley vs. Bloomington Central Catholic
- Central Catholic is the three-time defending champions and enters this game with a 15-game consecutive winning streak in State Farm Holiday Classic games. A sixteenth consecutive win would tie the Saints with Galesburg (1997-2000) and allow the Saints to become the first team ever to win four straight tournament titles.
- This is Central Catholic’s eighth championship game appearance, most all-time by any boys or girls team.
- El Paso-Gridley enters this championship game as the only team remaining that’s undefeated on the season.
- Interesting tidbit: These teams played for a 2011 sectional title – a game which the Saints won 70-40.
8:30 p.m.: Boys 1A-2A: Cissna Park CPCI vs. Quincy Notre Dame
- CPCI was the smallest school in the field in terms of enrollment (114). This is CPCI’s second appearance in the championship game. In 2005, the Timberwolves lost to Hartsburg-Emden.
- After four straight title game appearances (2001-2004), this is Quincy Notre Dame’s first appearance in the championship game since the Raiders won their second title in 2004.
- Interesting tidbit: Through three games, CPCI has only allowed 103 points (34.3 ppg). The all-time record for fewest points allowed in a four-game tournament is 151 (Normal U-High in 2007).
