New era
Rock Island’s Chasson Randle and North Chicago’s Aaron Simpson both wowed Holiday Classic crowds during their careers…but neither was able to help lead their school to a championship game appearance. In this year’s tournament, just two years and one year respectively after the pair graduated, their two schools will battle for the boys large school title. While only one will emerge the victor, the other will also improve on their best finish; both Rock Island and North Chicago have finished third, but neither has finished first or second.
Old hat
Peoria Richwoods owns the highest winning percentage of any boys or girls team to ever play in the Holiday Classic. After Friday night’s win over Rock Island, the Richwoods girls are 40-7 all-time (a winning percentage of .851) and are now 6-1 in semifinals. Richwoods has won four titles – and will be seeking a fifth championship Saturday – against just one career championship game loss.
Old hat, part 2
Central Catholic’s girls knocked off Rochester on Friday night to reach their sixth straight title game appearance and ninth in 11 years. The nine appearances is three more than any other girls school (Galesburg and now Richwoods). The Saints lost last year’s title game in overtime to El Paso-Gridley.
Pressure? Maybe not
It’s possible Champaign St. Thomas More will be nervous with its first title game appearance – a tilt with Central Catholic. But on consecutive nights, the top-seeded Sabers have knocked off previously unbeaten Peoria Christian and Annawan.
Six in a row for the Raiders
Quincy Notre Dame narrowly knocked off Minonk Fieldcrest and will face Rockford Lutheran in the boys small school title game. The semifinal win gave the Raiders a 6-0 mark all-time in semifinal games. They’ve won three titles and have finished second twice heading into Friday’s sixth ever championship game appearance.
Record watch
Annawan Junior Celina VanHyfte scored 24 points in the Bravettes semifinal loss to Champaign St. Thomas More. That gives VanHyfte 83 points (27.7 ppg) through three games. She will need 40 in the third-place game to tie Brittany Johnson’s all-time mark of 123 points in a four-game tournament. With 30 points, she’d move behind Johnson with the second-highest single tournament scoring average.
Adding to the trophy case
Rock Island Alleman’s girls team has appeared in every girls tournament (1997-present) and has amassed nearly every trophy you could receive – two firsts, two seconds, four thirds, and now a consolation championship with its win Friday night over Kankakee Bishop McNamara. All that’s missing in the Alleman trophy case is a fourth-place trophy.
Long-range success
In El Paso-Gridley’s 62-51 win over Brimfield in small school girls play, each team made eight 3-pointers. The 16 combined triples ties a tournament record set in 200 (Downs Tri-Valley 13, Maroa-Forsyth 3).
Unlucky after 13
The Peoria Christian Chargers girls held its first 13 opponents under 50 points in building a 13-0 start to the season. That included wins over three Mid-State 6 teams (Peoria Manual, Peoria Central and Peoria Notre Dame). In game 14 Thursday night, top-seeded Champaign St. Thomas More scored 62 against the Chargers in a 62-39 win. Friday morning, the Chargers surrendered more than 50 again – in losing to Pana 51-46.
