Firing on all cylinders
A night after tying the small school girls single-game scoring record, the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints etched their name in the books by themselves. The Saints tallied 86 points in an 86-41 win over Camp Point Central/ASE. The 86 points are two off the all-time girls mark. The Saints have now won 10 straight State Farm Holiday Classic games. With 168 points (84 ppg), the Saints are 100 points away (in two games) from the all-time girls tournament scoring average mark.
New blood I
Rock Island and Peoria Notre Dame’s boys teams have played 94 total games between them in State Farm Holiday Classic history, and both own a winning record (Rocky is 23-14 and PND is now 30-27 after both won their quarterfinal games Tuesday). On Wednesday night, both will appear in just their second semifinal (Rocky in 2005 and PND in 2006), but one of them is assured of making their first title game appearance. With wins over Lake Forest and Culver, Ind., respectively, the Rocks and Irish both remain undefeated on the season, too.
New blood II
In 1992, Gridley High School won the small school Holiday Classic title. El Paso High School was twice the Holiday Classic runner-up – in 1990 and 1999. Since the schools merged in 2004, the Comets had never reached the semifinals – until this year. El Paso-Gridley knocked off Bloomington Central Catholic on Tuesday. The loss snapped the Saints string of five straight appearances in the semifinals.
Not so new blood
When the State Farm Holiday Classic brackets come out, you can usually pencil in Bloomington Central Catholic girls and Rockton Hononegah boys in the semifinals. That’s true again this year. The Saints are in the semifinals for the eighth time in the past 10 years, and Hononegah’s boys squeaked one out against Chicago North Lawndale to reach the semis for the fourth straight year and sixth of the last eight.
How do you spell kryptonite?
For Peoria Richwoods girls, kryptonite is spelled BLAZERS. For the second straight year, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin knocked off the Knights in girls tournament play. Last year, the Blazers pulled off the win in the semifinals; this year, it was in the quarterfinals. Richwoods still has the best overall record ever in State Farm Holiday Classic play (32-6 in 38 career games) but is now 0-2 in the past two years versus Sacred Heart-Griffin.
Lock down
For years, Rochester’s girls teams have been known for their tough defense. Wednesday night, the Rockets held Stanford Olympia scoreless for three quarters en route to a 45-5 victory. Through three games, Rochester has allowed 87 points, which is 29 ppg. The all-time tournament record for four games is Rochester – at 29 ppg – in 2004.
