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.
