Turn back the clock
Move over Seneca…the Saints are marching. Bloomington Central Catholic’s girls tied two of Seneca’s tournament records en route to an 82-31 drubbing of Downs Tri-Valley. The Saints got off to a 23-0 lead and led 52-9 at the half. The 52 points scored in a half and 82 scored in a game duplicated the small-school record set in 2000 by Seneca, when there was no running clock. The Saints’ victory gives them nine straight wins in the State Farm Holiday Classic, also matching the small-school record of Normal U-High (2001-2003). Central Catholic is still more than a year away from the all-time girls mark (16 straight tournament wins by Galesburg). The Saints’ 51-point win is the third largest margin of victory.
Tough start
Olympia’s girls team is now 0-10 to start the season, and the young Spartans were down by 43 points before they got on the scoreboard. Pana opened its first round game with a 43-point run, which is the largest run in tournament history. Pana led 45-4 at the half, en route to a 68-9 victory over Olympia. The 9 points is the fewest ever scored in State Farm Holiday Classic tournament play, and the 59-point differential is also a new tournament record.
Oxygen, please
Rock Island Alleman and Champaign St. Thomas More set a new mark. Their game was the first triple overtime game in girls tournament play. The Pioneers held off the Sabers, who may feel the game was lost at the charity stripe, where St. Thomas More was 8-for-25 (32 percent).
Saints march on past the Pioneers
There’s a new leader in the boys’ all-tournament record books. Entering this year’s tournament, Bloomington Central Catholic’s boys (56-42) and Normal U-High’s boys teams (56-50) jointly held the all-time mark for overall tournament wins. U-High nearly got their 57th in an upset bid versus Culver, Ind. The Saints did notch win No. 57 with an upset win over Hartsburg-Emden.
Sweet revenge
In March 2009, Champaign Centennial beat North Lawndale by a point in the 2009 Class 3A state semifinals. Today, North Lawndale got its revenge, with a first-round win. It was the first State Farm Holiday Classic loss for Centennial. They were 4-0 in winning last year’s large-school boys bracket.
Raiders start a new streak
In the first nine trips to the State Farm Holiday Classic, Quincy Notre Dame’s boys team advanced into the quarterfinal round. In 2008, the Raiders streak was snapped, and then last year, QND also dropped its first-round game. Today, the Raiders got back into the winner’s bracket with a victory over Taylor Ridge Rockridge.
Sharp shooters
Lake Forest went 23-of-25 (92 percent) from the free-throw line in its victory over Normal Community.
On an individual note, Glenbard Lombard East’s Johnny Hill and Culver Academy’s Jermaine Myers had the boys top marks with 34-point efforts. Metamora’s Ally Friday led all girls’ scorers with 32 points, in a losing cause.
Welcome
Three teams made their State Farm Holiday Classic debuts today, and all three posted wins to advance to the second round. Chicago North Lawndale boys, Lombard Glenbard East boys and Champaign Centennial girls all advanced to the quarterfinal round.
