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| 2005 8AA State Tournament
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| Champaign Jefferson vs. Country Club Hills Southwood
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Champaign Jefferson turned on the afterburners in the third quarter and rocketed from its four-point halftime lead to a 48-30 margin after three quarters. The Jaguars outscored Country Club Hills Southwood 19-5 in the third 6-minute quarter. Fueled by the blazing speed of Akeenen Hunt on both ends of the court, Jefferson was up 36-26 with 4:46 left in the 3rd. The Jaguars stormed the defensive board and fired outlet passes one after another to ignite fast break layups. In addition, they got three-pointers from Quantarius Warren (1) and James Kinney (2). Warren scored five points in the third quarter and Kinney, the team's leading scorer with 19, got 6 in the third and 7 in the 4th quarter. Teammate DeMarco Burden, a force under the basket for the Jaguars, followed Kinney with 16 points. Burden scored 12 in the first half. Brandon Adams led Southwood in scoring with 13 points, but he got only a free throw in the second half. Andre McClain was next with 9. Champaign Jefferson advances to the quarterfinals Monday with a 22-1 record. Southwood bowed out at 19-2.
Champaign Jefferson came from a 17-10 deficit at the 1:13 mark in the first quarter to take a 29-25 lead over Country Club Hills Southwood at halftime in a first half where the score was tied 5 times and the lead changed hands 3 times. Southwood came from a 10-8 deficit in the first quarter on four successive trips down the floor to take the 17-10 lead. Andre McClain started the run with a layup to tie the score at 10-10, then Freddie Lay hit a three-pointer, Eric Felters followed with a jumper in the paint and Brandon Adams made a jumper in the paint at 1:13. Southwood maintained the lead until late int he second quarter. A rebound basket by Jeferson's DeMarco Burden tied the score at 23-23 with 3:11 left in the half. Then Quintarius Warren scored on a breakaway layup off a tremendous backhanded flip from Akeenen Hunt to give Jefferson a 25-23 lead at the 2:30 mark. DeMarco Burden got a basket underneath off another great Akeenen Hunt feed to make it 27-23 in favor of Jefferson. Southwood's McClain cut the deficit to 27-25 with a layup and Jefferson's Zack Wood ended the first half with a teal layup at 0:03, taking the ball away as Southwood worked for the last shot.
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| Bloomington JHS vs. Pekin Broadmoor
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Dimitri Riggs came out from intermission on fire and Bloomington Junior High roared from a 27-25 halftime deficit to a 30-27 lead with 5:00 to go in the third quarter. Riggs jammed home a rebound dunk at the 4:21 mark to move Bloomington ahead 32-29 and the Knights began to pull away. Andy Szabo scored on a fast break layup after taking a rifle pass from Riggs at 2:22 in the third for a 40-31 Bloomington lead. Shaquille Florez put one in from the paint for a 42-33 lead. Bloomington outscored Pekin Broadmoor 17-8 in the third quarter. Andy Szabo's jumper at the 4:54 mark in the fourth quarter extended Bloomington's margin to 46-35. Broadmoor scored the final four points on the game on a jumper from the left side and a trey from the left side by Larry Sciortino to narrow the margin to the 54-46 final score. Bloomington's Riggs scored four straight baskets in one stretch of the third quarter. The lanky eighth grader led the Knights with 28 points, making 10 field goals (including a pair of 3's). Shaquille Florez added 14 for Bloomington. Ryan Seifert and Larry Sciortino shared scoring honors for Broadmoor with 12 each. Bloomington advances to Monday's quarterfinals with a 24-0 record and will face Champaign Jefferson (22-1) at 4:00 p.m. Pekin Broadmoor ended the season at 18-6.
Pekin Broadmoor was ice cold at the start of the game but came on strong in the second quarter to take a 27-25 halftime lead. Broadmoor didn't get its first field goal until the 2:43 mark in the first quarter on a jumper in the lane by Larry Sciortino. In the meantime, Bloomington Junior High had rolled to a 13-4 margin. Shaquille Florez made it 7-1 Bloomngton's favor with a three-pointer from the top of the circle. Dimitri Riggs follwed with a layup down the lane and a steal layup for an 11-2 lead. Shaquille Florez caned two free throws for the 13-2 margin. Bloomington led 15-10 after the first quarter, and was ahead 17-10 early in the second quarter. A scoop layup from Ryan Allen at 4:07 cut Broadmoor's deficit to 17-14. Dimitri Riggs countered for Bloomington. Then Brent Myers hit a baseline drive to cut the deficit to 19-16. Riggs countered with a pair of free throws. Broadmor's Ryan Seifert canned a trey from on top at 2:26 in the 2nd to make it 21-19 and Ryan Flanigan followed with a free throw for Broadmoor at 2:21. Ryan Seifert's two free throws at 1:57 gave Broadmoor its first lead. A trey from the right side by Ryan Seifert pushed Broadmoor on top 25-21. Dimitri Riggs countered for Bloomington with a driving layup down the lane and then a steal layup to tie the game at 25 with 0:21 left. Brent Myers hit a jumper at the end of the quarter for Broadmoor's 27-25 halftime lead. Three Bloomington starters got into foul trouble after the Knights took their big lead in the first quarter.
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| Pana JHS vs. Channahon
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Channahon made free throws down the stretch and held off Pana's comeback bid, making 6 of 8 from the line in the last 1:34 to preserve a 53-49 lead. Pana cut its 12-point halftime deficit to 38-32 after three quarters. Key baskets for the Panthers in the 3rd quarter came from Justin Vernon with a trey from on top at 1:20 to make it 38-30 and a basket from underneath by Frank Schmitz at 0:42 to make it 38-32. matt Stonitsch hit a three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter for a 41-32 lead. Seth Evans pushed the Chanahon margin to 43-34 before Pana's final charge. Justin Vernon's old fashioned three-point play cut the deficit to 43-37. Tom Stokke countered for Channahon with a pair of free throws. Justin Vernon hit s trey for Pana and Josh Beyers hit two free throws at 3:22 to make the deficit 45-42. Frank Schmitz followed with a jumper in the circle at 2:55 to make it 45-44. Tom Stokke canned a jumnper at 1:55 for a 47-44 Chanahon lead. Justin Vernon hit another trey from the top to tie it at 47-47 with 1:37 left. Pana had to trade fouls for scoring opportunities and came up on the wrong end. the Panthers kept missing shots and fouling Chanahon players. At 1:34 Set Evans hit 1 of 2 for the winners. At 0:47 Brian Martin hit a pair of free throws for the Indians. Then Seth Evans made 1 of 2 foul shots at 0:34 and a 51-47 lead. Pana tried two treys thereafter and both were way off the mark. Eric Miller got the rebound of the second missed long range shot and put it back with 0:04 left to cut the margin to 51-49. Chanahon got the ball in bounds and Matt Stonitsch was fouled at 0:02. He swished both foul shots for the final 53-49 score. Steh Evans led Channahon in scoring with 21 points and was instrumental in setting up teammates with passes underneath. He also was a force on defense despite injuring an ankle in the second half and sitting out about for awhile. Teammate Brian martin follwed with 16 points. Justin Vernon led Pana with 18 points, including three treys. Frank Schmitz followed with 14. pana bowed out with an 18-4 record. Channahon advances to Monday's quarterfinals with a 23-1 record.
Channahon's Seth Adams hit a three-pointer midway through the first quarter to put the Indians ahead 9-6 and they never trailed thereafter in the first half, taking a 31-19 margin into halftime. Josh Beyers tried to keep Pana close in thge first quarter with a pair of baskets and a free throw. His jumper in the paint cut the Pana deficit to 18-13 after the first quarter. Channahon took a 22-15 lead with 3:06 to go in the 2nd quarter on a basket underneath by Seth Evans. Josh Beyers hit a rebound layup for Pana to make it 22-17. Then Channahon ran off a string of 8 unanswered points and a 31-17 lead before Pana's Justin Vernon hit a pair of free throws at 0:07 for the 31-19 Pana deficit. Channahon's Seth Evans got 16 of his 21 points in the first half.
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| Springfield Jefferson vs. Washington Central
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Rugged forward Andrew Gundy took a pass in the lane and floated in a running jumper at the buzzer to give Washington Central a 47-46 win over Springfield Jefferson. Washington Central trailed 46-45 following a rebound layup from Springfeld Jefferson's Corbin Doss at 0:09 and called timeout to set up the final play. The Trojans had to go the full length of the court. They took two passes through the Jefferson press and got the ball in the paint to Gundy, who took the pass on the move and fired. Central looked like it was going to run away from jefferson early in the third quarter jumping from its 26-18 halftime lead to 31-23 margin. Jefferson's Brian McIntyre made a layup and teammate Corbin Doss followed with a steal layup on the ensuing inbounds pass to cut the Jefferson deficit to 31-27. Jefferson's Karl Madison scored three baskets to offset Washington Central baskets and Jefferson trailed 39-35 after three quarters. Both teams went through scoreless streaks in the fourth quarter to set up the great finish. Alex Wilson hit a running hook in the paint to give Washington Central a 41-36 lead with 5:30 to go in the game. Jefferson's Davian Duckworth hit a three-pointer at 5:12 to cut the deficit to 41-39. Washington Central didn't score again until 1:46 remained (a stretch of 2:44) in the game when Andrew Gundy scored from underneath on a feed from guard Chase Catton. That gave Central a 43-39 lead. Jefferson didn't score until Davian Duckworth canned his second trey of the final quarter with 1:31 to go (a stretch of 4:19). At 1:08 Central's Chase Catton canned a pair of free throws for a 45-42 lead. Corbin Doss countered with a drive from the left baseline for Jefferson. With 0:30 left, Central's Corey Sharp missed the front end of the 1 and 1 and Jefferson got the rebound. The Jaguars caled timeout, set up a play and got a basket from corbin Doss with 0:09 to take the lead for the first time since the led 7-5 midway through the first quarter. +Jefferson's Karl Madison, with ll first half points, was the game's leading scorer with 21. he was most of the Jefferson offense in the third quarter. Teammate Corbin Doss follwed with 10. Washington Central was led by Andrew Gundy with 13. Chase Catton had 10 for the Trojans. Jefferson ended its season with a 16-7 record. Washington Central advances to Monday's quarterfinals against Chanahon with a 23-0 record.
Washington Central got going in the second quarter to outscore Springfeld Jefferson 17-8, and went to the dressing room at halftime with a 26-18 lead. Karl Madison hit a teal layup and followed with a three-pointer from the left side to boost Jefferson to a 7-3 lead. But well-schooled Central, using the passing lanes and with its guards driving the lane, gradded an 11-7 lead after the first quarter. Alex Wilson got a rebound basket for Washington and Chase Catton hit a pair of free throws to tie the score at 7. Brian Tigue hit a layup and Corey Sharp got a bucket from underneath for the 11-7 quarter lead. Washington Central scored the first sis points of the second quarter to lead 17-7 and then fought off Jefferson the rest of the half. At 4:00, Washington Central's rugged power forward Andrew Gundy scored on a spiner in the lane for a 19-11 lead. Gundy came right back with a jumper and a 21-13 margin and his second spinner in the lane with 1:42 to go in the half gave his team a 26-15 margin. Lamont Jones hit a layup and free throw at 0:04 to make the halftime score 26-18 in favor of washington Central.
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| Heyworth vs. Park Forest Forest Trail
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Big and powerful Park Forest Forest Trail waited until the fourth quarter to assert itself and pounded its way past Heyworth, 56-39, using a 19-0 run from the 5:10 to 1:35 in the 4th quarter. Under-sized and outmuscled Heyworth took a 37-36 lead with 5:10 left in the 4th quarter on a jumper in the lane from Nick Walters. that was Heyworth's last basket of the game and the Hornets' last points came at 1:35 on a pair of free throws from reserve Lucas Johnson. Leading the Forest Trail scoring spree was Will Collins, who hit for three baskets. The Wlverines dominated under both baskets as they rotated in 6-4 Stephen O'Neal, 6-3 Bruce Collins and 6-5 Shea Sumpter. Heyworth came out gunning in the third quarter and erased its 3-point halftime deficit to take a 29-27 lead with 3:30left in the 3rd period. A Jase Wilson layup put the ZHornets ahead 31-29 and Ethan Wilson hit a pair of free throws to make it 33-29. Heyworth led 35-34 after three quarters. Will Collins got the first basket of the fourth quarter for Forest Trail and a 36-35 lead. That came 26 second sbefore Heyworth's Nick Walters made the Hornets' last basket of the game. Reggie Byrd led Forest Tral in scoring with 15 points and powerful center Shea Sumpter added 12. Ethan Wilson led Heyworth with 11. Jake Wilson and Nick Walters added 8 each for the Hornets, who finished the season with a 14=9 record. Forest Trail advances to Monday's quarterfinals with an 18-0 record.
Under-sized and outmuscled Heyworth stayed with physical Park Forest Forest Hill through the first half. Heyworth shocked the larger Wolverines with the first six points of the first quarter, but Forest Trail led 13-9 after the first 6 minutes, socring six of the last 8 points of the period. Reggie Byrd got a jumper at1:58 for a 9-7 lead and Janere Dismukes scored on a breakaway layup for an 11-7 margin. Reggie Byrd's basket countered one from heyworth's Jacob VanWinkle for the 13-9 margin. The two teams traded baskets until 3:46 left in the 2nd quarter and heyworth's Brandon Leake hit a three-pointer to cut his team's deficit to 17-16. Shea Sumpter his a free throw for Forest Trail to make it 18-16 with 3:29 remaining in the half and Forest Trail was assessed a technical foul for a wrong number in the score book. Heyworth's Nick Walters hit one of 2 free throws on the technical but heyworth missed the shot on the ensuing inbounds. Shea Sumpter scored from underneath for a 20-17 lead and 7th grader Jase Wilson, who led the JHeyworth 7th grade team to second place in this week's Class 7Aa IESA State Tournament, slid dowen the lane, got a pretty feed from Nick Walters and laid it in for a 20-19 deficit. Forest Tral got the final basket at the end of the half for its 22-19 lead.
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| Springfield Franklin vs. Charleston
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Scrappy Springfield Franklin survived a comeback charge by Charleston to hang on and take a 46-40 win. Down by 9 at halftime, Charleston whittled its deficit to 34-31 after three quarters, scoring six of the last eight points of the third quarter. A driving layup by Derek Hennig cut the deficit to 32-27. The Lawrence Thomas, the Franklin sparkplug guard, made a driving layup for a 34-27 margin. Charleston's Jamel Johnson hit 2 free throws at 1;)2 and Jamario Johnson followed with a layup to close the gap to 34-31. Jamel Johnson started the scoring in the 4th quarter with a layup off a set play and Charleston was as close as it would get, trailing 34-33 with 5:20 left in the game.A Lawrence Thomas jumper made it 41-37 with 2:08 to go. Charleston's Jamel Johnson lost the ball in traffic trying to go coast to coast and Franklin's Ben mathis took a feed pass from Sean Crawford for a breakaway layup and a 43-37 Falcon lead. At 1:22 Sean Crawford made 1 or 2 free throws for a 44-37 lead. Ryan Hale made a layup and free throw on the same play to slice the deficit to 44-40 with 1:33 to go. Lawrence Tomas, who began the game with a trey, ended it with a pair of free throws and the final 46-40 victory. Charleston held Franklin to 6 points in the third quarter, but the Falcons outscored Charleston 12-9 in the 4th. Lawrence Thomas led the Falcons with 21 points scoring 9 in the 1st, 2 in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd and 6 in the 4th quarters. Ben Mathis had 9 for the Falcons. Jamel Johnson led Charleston with 17, getting 11 in the first half. Dylan rose, who hit a pair of three-pointers, scored 8 for Charleston. Franklin advances to Monday's quarterfinals with a 21-1 record. Charleston bows out at 20-2.
It was the Lawrence Thomas show in the first half as he led Springfield Franklin to a 28-19 halftime lead. Thomas scored the games first basket, a three-pointer, to put the Falcons ahead 3-0. Teammate Sean Crawford followed with a three-pointer of his own and Franklin led 6-0 with 4:10 to go in the first quarter. Thomas scored his team's last three baskets of the first quarter -- a jumper in close, a fastbreak layup and a drive down the lane -- to give Franklin a 19-13 lead. Charleston cut the deficit to 21-15 on a rebound basket from Jamel Johnson but Lawrence Thomas countered with another drive down the lane and Ben Mathis put one in from the right side to give the Falcons a 25-15 lead with 3:28 left in the half. A pair of Jamel Johnson free throws and his coast-to-coast layup cut the margin for Charleston to 25-19. Sean Crawford made three free throws in the final 12 seconds of the half to extend Franklin's lead to 28-19.
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| Cahokia Wirth vs. Dolton Lincoln
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Dolton Lincoln's pressure defense limited Cahokia Wirth to just 2 points in the fourth quarter and the Eagles scored 15 of the game's last 17 points on the way to a 33-26 first round win. Trailing 22-18 at the 4:08 mark of the 3rd quarter, Lincoln's Derrick needham sank a three-pointer and he came back with a steal layup at 3:42 to give Lincoln a 23-22 lead. Wirth's Darian Donald countered at 1:58 in the 3rd with a jumper in the paint for the Warriors' last lead at 24-23. A rebond jumper by Michael Wiggens pushed Lincoln ahead 25-24 with 1:12 to go in the 3rd and that is how the period ended. Dennis Colbert scored on a breakaway layup at 5:35 in the 4th, Bryan Warren got a steal layup at 4:33 and Michael Wiggins came back with a free throw at 3:50 for a 30-24 Lincoln lead. Darian Donald scored Wirth's only points of the fourth quarter at 1:35 when he hit a layup to make the deficit 30-26. Lincoln finished the scoring with a free throw from Bryant Warren at 0:58 and a steal layup from Derrick needham at 0:24. Darian Donald lef Writh in scoring with 14 points, 8 coming in the second quarter. Seventh grader Jarian Norris, a 6-3 post player, was second in scoring for the Warriers with 6. Derek Needham led Lncoln with 14 and Dennis Colbert followed with 9. Wirth finished the year with a 21-1 record. Lincoln advances to the quarterfinals with a 17-2 mark.
In a first half plagued with turnovers on both sides, Cahokia Wirth scored the final four points of the first half to notch an 18-18 tie. The score was tied four times in the first half, and the first quarter ended at 10-10. Cahokia Wirth's Darian donald scored his teams last siz points of the second quarter. His jumper cut Wirth's 16-12 deficit to 16-14. Dolton Lincoln went back up 18-14 before Darian Donald hit a jumper in the lane at 2:22 and a steal layup at 0:59 for the 18-18 tie. Lincoln's Bryant Warren missed the front end of a 1 and 1 free throw situation with 0:07 left to end the half.
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| Macomb vs. Arlington Heights South
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Arlington Hts. South turned up the defensive heat and held Macomb to just 7 points in the second half on the way to a 30-25 first round win. But the Cardinals weren't sure of victory until Teddy Metzger made a pair of free throws on the bonus situation for a 28-25 lead and then stole the ball, was fouled on the breakaway and made two more foul shots with 8 seconds left. Macomb scored only 3 points in the third quarter and gave up an 18-15 halftime lead to trail 22-18 with 2:47 to go in the 3rd quarter when South's Jason Leblebijian hit a three-pointer. Macomb's Brett Ackers hit a free throw at 1:47 and came back with a runner in the lane at 0:22 to make it a 22-21 South lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. Neither team scored in the 4th quarter until South got a steal layup from David Meves at 4:22 to give his team a 24-21 lead. Jason Leblebijian scored on a steal jumper at the 2:21 mark to extend South's lead to 26-21, it's biggest of the night. Davis Hendrickson hit a jumper in the pant for Macomb's first points of the fourth quarter at the 1:14 mark. Macomb traled then 26-23. The Mustangs got a turnover and Mike Pendergrast hit a jumper in the paint at 0:58 to cut the deficit to 26-25 setting up Teddy Metzger's game winning free throws. Jason Leblebijian led South with 11 points. Davis Hendrickson led Macomb with 11. Macomb ended with a 16-5 record and Arlington Heights South advances to Monday's quarterfinal game against Dolton Lincoln (17-2) with a record of 19-1.
Macomb rode the scoring of Davis hendrickson to an 18-15 lead at halftime. In a first quarter that saw both teams off target with their shooting and passing, Arlington Heights South grabbed a 6-4 lead at 0:18 on a three-pointer from Jason Leblebijian for a two-point margin at the quarter. Macomb outscored South 14-9 in the second quarter. Davis Hendrickson got six of the 14 on a pair of free throws, a layup and a three-pointer from on top of the circle. His trey at 2:28 in the 2nd tied the game at 11 and teammate Eric Mutch canned a trey from the right side on the next trip down the court for a 14-11 lead at the 1:58 amrk. Kevin Reed hit a jumper for South to cut the deficit to 14-13 at the 1:33 mark. Zach Kaszyk hit a jumper at 0:52 for South to tie it at 15. Then Macomb's Kevin Simpson made one of two free throws at 0:19 and teammate Mike Pendergast ended the second quarter scoring with a free throw at 0:07.
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| Champaign Jefferson vs. Bloomington JHS
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The lead changed several times in the first half of play between Champaign Jefferson and Bloomington JHS. Champaign Jefferson led the first qaurter 19-16 and DeMarco Burden had 8 of his teams points. Dimitri Riggs had 9 points for Bloomington.
The second quarter saw Bloomington get their lead as they outscored the Jaguars 15-10 and went into the lockerroom at half with a two point lead 31-29.
At the start of the second quarter #24 Quantarius Warren of Champaign Jefferson scored his teams first five points, but Bloomington had an answer each time. With a minute to play #33 Dimitri Riggs drained a three a foot outside the three point line to put the Wildcats up by 10. At the buzzer the coach for Champign Jefferson picked up a technical foul and so Bloomington started the fourth quarter at the line and with the ball. #30 Shaquille Florez drained both free throw and Bloomington increased their lead to 51-38. With 3:30 to go in the fourth quarter Bloomington started to burn some time off the clock. Champaign Jefferson had several three point attempts but couldn't get anything to fall. Champaign Jefferson finished with a record of 22-2. Bloomington JHS remains undefeated (25-0) and advances to semifinal play on Tuesday night.
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| Channahon vs. Washington Central
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Channahon and Washington Central held it close in the first quarter of play. Both teams battling it out on the boards. # 43 Seth Evans of Channahon had 5 of the teams 9 points in the quarter. In the second quarter Channahon started to put some distance between themselves and the Trojans. Seth Evans added 7 points to his first quarter to end the half with 12 points. Alex Wilson of led all Washington Central scorers with 8 points.
Channahon scored three points in the third quarter as Washington Central outscored them 12-3 to take the lead 27-25. In the fourth quarter #45 Alex Wilson of Central had a huge block sending the ball into the stands. Later in the quarter, Seth Evans shot and missed a three but grabbed his own rebound and drove to the basket with 3:20 to play and dished to ball to #53 Tom Stokke in the lane for 2 points and a tie ball game. The teams remained scoreless for over a mintue until Alex Wilson was fould on a rebound put back in the lane with 2 mintues to play. Wilson drained both free throws for a 2 point lead which Trojans never lost again. Wilson went 6-8 from the line in the game and 5-6 in the fourth quarter. Channahon was able to cut the lead to one but several players stepped it up for the Trojans with key free throws and #52 Andrew Gundy had two big rebounds off of missed free throws to keep the possesion for the Trojans. Washington Central advances to the semifinals with a undefeated record of 24-0 and will face Bloomington 25-0 tomorrow night.
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| Park Forest Forest Trail vs. Springfield Franklin
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In a fast paced first half both teams played the run and gun style of basketball. Springfield Franklin has three very quick talented ballhandling guards and Park Forest has 6'4'' Shea Sumpter. In the first quarter of play both teams pushed the ball up the court looking for quick layup baskets. In the second quarter they settled down a little bit to run some offense. This is when Park Forest took advantage of the size they had under the basket. Shea Sumpter ended the half with 14 of his teams 28 points. Springfield Franklin moved the ball around their three guards who drove the lane for their basekts. All three guards for Franklin, #3 Lawrence Thomas had 12 points, #14 Sean Crawford had 6 points and #23 Derek Wilkerson had 8 points for their teams 26 first half points.
The second half was more of the same for the first. Franklin outscored Park Forest 15-11 in the third quarter and Park Forest fought back in the fourth to outscore the Falcons 12-11. With 2:31 to play in the fourth quarter Franklin was up 47-44 and maintained that lead until :38 seconds left in the game. #14 Sean Crawford of Franklin stole the ball from Park Forest underneath the basket and falling out of bounds passed the ball to #22 Eric Hale for the two point basket and a 1 point lead. Park Forest drove the court and #32 Will Collins shot over a Franklin player to put park forest up by 1. With :18 seconds to play Franklin turned the ball over but on the inbound Park Forest #52 fouled out of the game. Franklin then inbounded the ball under their own basket to #21 who bounced passed it to #14 for the lay-up attempt but was fould by Park Forest. Sean Crawford made both of his free throws to put Franklin up by one with :16 seconds to play. Park Forest opushed the ball up the court but lost control of the ball and as the scramble to get control took place the clock ran out.
Park Forest finshed the season with a record of 19-1. Springfield Franklin advances to the semifinals tomorrow night with a record of 22-1.
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| Dolton Lincoln vs. Arlington Heights South
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In a half plagued with turnovers and both teams struggled from the field #45 Michael Wiggins from Dolton Lincoln had 8 points in the half 6 of which came in the first quarter. #52 Zach Koszyk of Arlington Heights South had 7 point sin the first half. #15 Derrick Needham of Dolton pushes the ball up the floor quickly for Lincoln and was able to get off many shots but they weren't falling for him. He ended the half with 7 points.
Dolton Lincoln pulled away in the second half out scoring Arlington Heights in both the third and fourth quarter. Derek Needham for Dolton ended the game as the leading scorer with 15 points.
Arlington Heights South ended their season with a 20-2 record. Lincoln advances to the semifinal round with a record of 18-2 to play Springfield Franklin.
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| Bloomington JHS vs. Washington Central
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In a battle of unbeaten teams, Bloomington Junior High School and Washington Central collided Tuesday night in the first semi-final of the IESA Class 8AA tournament at Stanford Olympia High School. Consecutive three point baskets by Jonathan Hines and Dimitri Riggs gave Bloomington JHS a 12-6 lead after one quarter of play. However, those were the last points BJHS scored in the first half as the Trojans of Washington Central held the Knights scoreless in the second quarter. Central managed just four points in the second quarter to cut the BJHS lead to 12-10 at halftime. Bloomington outscored Centeral 14-2 in the third quarter to take a 26-12 lead into the fourth quarter but the Trojans would simply not quit. After the team traded three point goals to start the fourth quarter, Central scored nine unanswered points to cut the deficit to 29-24 with 1:11 left in the game. Central could only manage one more basket the rest of the way though as BJHS made teo free throws and a two point basket to make the final score 33-26. Dinitri Riggs of BJHS led all scorers with 15 points, while Shaquille Florez chipped in with 9 poits, Jonathan Hines had 6, Tywon Howard had 2 and Andy Szabo had one point. Central was led in scoring by Alex Wilson with 9 points, Corey Sharp had 6, Brian Tigue had 5, Chase Catton had four, and Andrew Gundy had two points.
BJHS advances to the title game on Thursday night and will enter the game with a perfect 26-0 mark. Central, which will now play for third place falls to 24-1.
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| Springfield Franklin vs. Dolton Lincoln
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| In a game that featured an almost unbelievable turnaround, Springfield Franklin handily defeated Dolton Lincoln, 64-33, to advance to the championship game of the 2005 Class 8AA IESA state basketball tournament. Lincoln, which just joined the IESA for the 2004-05 school year, held a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. At one point in time in the second quarter Lincoln led 24-12. However, the Falcons of Jefferson turned on the afterburners and outscored Lincoln, 17-2 the rest of the quarter to take a 29-26 lead into the locker room at halftime. Franklin then outscored Lincoln 19-2 in the third quarter to take a 48-28 lead into the fourth quarter. In that fourth quarter, Franklin outscored Lincoln 16-5 for a final score of 64-33. Lawrence Thomas led the way for the Falcons with 25 points on six two point goals, four threee point goals and 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. Derrick Needham had 17 points for Lincoln. Springfield Franklin with a record of 23-1 will now face Bloomington JHS in Thursday's championship game. Franklin's lone loss this season came at the hands of BJHS. Dolton Lincoln will play Washington Central for third place.
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| Washington Central vs. Dolton Lincoln
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It was a back-and-forth battle in the first half. The Eagles of Dolton Lincoln led the Trojans of Washington Central by one point. Jacob Page of Washington Central made an unbelievable half court shot at the buzzer to bring the Trojans within two at the end of the first quarter. Both teams were led by their free throw shooting in the second quarter. Dolton Lincoln managed to overcome a four point deficit to lead by one at the end of the half.
Neither team ever led by more than 2 during the second half. The fourth quarter was another battle with each team, again, relying on their free throw shooting. During the final minute, Washington Central had two opportunities at the basket but were unable to convert. Dolton Lincoln got the ball back with :09 seconds left and a one point lead. Washington Central quickly fouled and put Michael Wiggins of Dolton Lincoln on the line. Wiggins' free throw attempt just bounced out and Washington Central came down with the rebound. The final seconds ticked off the clock as Washington Central's last attempt bounced off the rim.
The Trojans of Washington Central were led by Chase Catton with 17 points. Alex Wilson contributed with 13 points and was a key rebounder for the Trojans. Corey Sharp added to the Trojan total with 8 points.
The Eagles of Dolton Lincoln were led by Derek Needham and Mike Wiggins both with 13 points. Bryant Warren contributed to the Eagles' victory with 11 points.
This is the first tournament and final four appearance for both Washington Central and Dolton Lincoln. Both teams are congratulated on an excellent game and season.
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| Bloomington JHS vs. Springfield Franklin
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The Knights of Bloomington sustained their lead over the Falcons of Springfield Franklin throughout the first half of Championship play. Ben Mathis of Franklin cut the Bloomington lead to 2 with 1 minute left in the first quarter. The Knights' Shaquille Florez pulled the lead to 5 with a 3-point basket at the buzzer.
With two minutes left in the second quarter, Bloomington JHS had extended their lead to 7 over the Falcons. The Falcons' Sean Crawford and Lawrence Thomas combined for 6 points to cut the Bloomington lead to 1. Shaquille Florez came up with another big 3-point basket for Bloomington to extend the lead and the Knights closed out the first half with a 6 point lead.
Bloomington finished the third quarter up by 3 points and had the momentum going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, Springfield Franklin took advantage of their attempts at the free throw line and closed the Bloomington lead to 1 with 4:25 left in the fourth. The Falcons tied the game with 2:57 left with a free throw by Eric Hale. Dimitri Rigg extended the Knights lead to 3 when he made two free throws. Hale made a basket with 23 seconds left in the game to pull the Falcons to within 1. Tywon Howard made one free throw for Bloomington to go up 2 with 14 seconds remaining. Springfield Franklin had the ball out of bounds and Eric Hale tied the game with 3 seconds left. Bloomington's last second shot missed its target and the game went into overtime.
With two minutes remaining in the overtime period, the game was tied at 43. Bloomington took the lead with a minute and a half to go and never relinquished that lead. Shaquille Florez scored for Bloomington to push the lead to three. Sean Crawford and Eric Hale scored late in the overtime period for the Falcons, but Bloomington held on for the victory.
The Falcons were led by Eric Hale who had 16 points and played a tremendous defensive game, as well. Lawrence Thomas and Sean Crawford contributed 12 points each for Springfield Franklin. Bloomington's Demitri Riggs lead all scorers with 31 points. Shaquille Florez contributed 10 points to the win. Tywan Howard was the other double digit scorer for the Knights with 11 points.
This was the fifth state appearance and second final four showing for the Falcons of Springfield Franklin. Bloomington has appeared in the tournament 6 times. This was the fourth final four appearance for the Knights of Bloomington. Both teams are congratulated for an excellent game and season.
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