IESA Headlines

2011 7th Grade Boys State Basketball Tournaments Begin Saturday

Despite the problems created by the weather, the 7th grade boys basketball championships for the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) will be played as originally scheduled. However due to the extraordinary circumstances of the near record snowfall the state received, pairings for the tournament will not be finalized until Friday night when the majority of the 7th grade sectionals will be played. Competition in the Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 4A State Final Tournaments begins Saturday (February 5) and concludes Thursday (February 10) at four sites. School personnel, players, coaches, and fans are encouraged to go to the IESA website Friday night to see the sectional results and complete pairings for the games on Saturday.

Class 1A will be played at Auburn Junior High in Divernon. Class 2A will be at Clinton High School. Class 3A will be at Wenona Fieldcrest Junior High School. Class 4A will be at Normal Kingsley Junior High School.

The time schedule for all four state tournaments will be the same. Quarterfinals are scheduled to be played Saturday with the first of four games beginning at 10:00 a.m. at each site. The four quarterfinal winners will meet in semifinal games Saturday afternoon with the first of two games set to begin at 5:00 p.m. Third place and championship games will be played Thursday, February 10 with the third place game set for 6:00 p.m. and the championship game scheduled for 7:30.

"I want to thank all of our schools for their patience and extra efforts as we have dealt with the many postponements caused by the weather," said Steve Endsley, IESA Executive Director. "In particular, the schools that have or will be hosting 7th grade sectionals and/or 8th grade regionals have spent considerable time trying to reschedule games, officials, workers, etc. for their particular level of play and have done an incredible job."

Any changes in the playing status of each of the four tournaments will be posted on the IESA Web Site at www.iesa.org as each tournament progresses.

The price of admission Saturday is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors (62 and over) and students (K-8) and is good for all games Saturday. Children younger than kindergarten are admitted free. Fans attending the games Saturday will receive a wristband that is to be worn all day and will be used for entry into that respective state final site only throughout the day. It will not be honored at any other 7th grade state final site. The price of admission for the third place and championship game session Thursday will be $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for seniors and students (K-8). Children younger than kindergarten again are admitted free.

IESA boys basketball began in 1930. From 1930 to 1972 there were two classes: Class A (heavyweight) and Class B (lightweight). Class C (7th grade) was added in 1973. From 1977-1984, the heavyweight class was divided into two classes based on enrollment. From 1985-2006, there were Class A and Class AA state series for both seventh grade and eighth grade. Beginning in 2007, the seventh grade and eighth grade series have four classes each.

Complete pairings for each state final once they have been determined, plus the FanZone, can be found at www.iesa.org. Click on the Boys Basketball line in the orange box at the top of the IESA Web Site Home Page.

Here is a look at the status of the four 2011 Seventh Grade State Final Tournaments:

Class 1A

Site: Auburn Jr. High School located in Divernon

Four sectional winners have been determined: They are Ottawa Marquette; Monmouth ICS; Griggsville-Perry; and Bourbonnais Maternity BVM. Each of those schools won their sectional game that was played Thursday night. There are four sectionals that scheduled to be played Friday night. Sectional #7 will have Edinburg playing East St. Louis Jackson at Kincaid at 7:30 p.m. The winner of that game will take on Ottawa Marquette at 10:00 a.m. in the first quarterfinal game. The winner of the sectional game between Decatur Hope and Lincoln West-Lincoln Broadwell will play Monmouth ICS in the second quarterfinal game Saturday. Their sectional game is being played at 5:00 p.m. on Friday at Decatur Robertson Charter School. Sectional #3 which will pit Flanagan against Tonica. That sectional game will be played at 6:00 p.m. tonight at Pontiac St. Mary's. The winner of Sectional #3 will face Griggsville-Perry at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in the 3rd quarterfinal game of the day. Squaring off in sectional #6 which will be played tonight at Effingham St. Anthony at 6:00 p.m. will be Palestine and Dieterich. The winner of that game will take on Bourbonnais BVM at 2:30 in the day's last quarterfinal contest.

Class 2A

Site: Clinton High School

Only three sectional contests were played Thursday night. Teams that are advancing to the 7th grade finals who played last night are Winchester, Champaign St. Matthew, and Elmwood. There are five sectionals that are scheduled to be played Friday night. Sectional #4 will be played at Astoria High School at 5:00 p.m. and will have the co-op team of South Fulton play LaHarpe. The winner of that contest will face Winchester in the first game Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Champaign St. Matthew will take on the winner of Sectional #2 in the second game on Saturday. St. Matthew will face either Ottawa Wallace or Bloomington Holy Trinity. That sectional game will be played tonight at Normal Epiphany at 6:00 p.m. None of the participants for the 3rd game of the day on Saturday have been determined. That contest will pit the winner of Sectional #8 vs. the winner of Sectional #1. Sectional #8 will be played at Beecher City and will have the host school facing Neoga. Sectional #1 will be played at Milford and will have the host school matching up against Ford Hts. Cottage Grove. The last quarterfinal game of the day on Saturday will have Elmwood squaring off against the winner of Sectional #6. That contest is being played at Springfield Christ the King at 6:00 p.m. and will pit the host school against Delavan.

Class 3A

Site: Wenona Fieldcrest East Middle School

Five sectional winners have been determined: They are Teutopolis; St. Joseph; Peoria Christian; Warrensburg-Latham, and Tremont. Each of those schools won their sectional game that was played Thursday night. There are three sectionals that are scheduled to be played Friday night. Sectional 8 will have Assumption Central A & M playing East St. Louis Younge at Vandalia at 7:00 p.m. The winner of that game will take on Teutopolis at 10:00 a.m. Saturday in the first quarterfinal game. The second quarterfinal game of the day has been determined. St. Joseph will square off against Peoria Christian at 11:30 a.m. The third quarterfinal game of the day will have Warrensburg-Latham facing the winner of the sectional game between Dixmoor Rosa Parks and Crest Hill Richland. That sectional game is being played at 6:00 p.m. on Friday at Morris Saratoga. The last quarterfinal game of the day on Saturday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will have Tremont playing the winner of Sectional 6. That contest will pit Pleasant Plains against Beardstown and will be played at 7:15 p.m. tonight at Pleasant Plains Middle School.

Class 4A

Site: Normal Kingsley Junior High School

Only one sectional winner has been determined. Bolingbrook Jane Addams won their sectional game that was played Thursday night. There are seven sectionals that are scheduled to be played Friday night. The sectional game between Kankakee Junior High School and Channahon is being played at 6:00 p.m. on Friday at Channahon Junior High School. The victor of that game will play the winner of Bethalto Trimpe and East St. Louis Lincoln in the first quarterfinal game Saturday. Their sectional game is being played at 6:00 p.m. on Friday at Hillsboro Junior High School. Sectional 3 will pit New Lenox Liberty against Joliet Washington. That sectional game will be played at 6:00 p.m. tonight at Joliet Washington. The winner of Sectional 3 will face the winner of Sectional 5 at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in the 2nd quarterfinal game of the day. Squaring off in sectional 5, which will be played tonight at East Peoria Central Junior High School at 5:00 p.m., will be Normal Kingsley and East Peoria Central. The winners of sectionals 6 and 7 will meet in the in the third quarterfinal game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Sectional 7 will have Taylorville Junior High School playing Quincy at Rochester High School at 6:00 p.m. tonight. Sectional 6 will be a showdown between Rantoul Eater and Effingham Junior High School. That sectional game will be played at 6:00 p.m. tonight at Effingham High School. Sectional 2 will have Phoenix Coolidge playing Harvey Brooks at Park Forest Forest Trail at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that game will take on Bolingbrook Jane Addams at 2:30 p.m. in the fourth quarterfinal game on Saturday.

All sectional hosts are reminded to post their scores after their contests tonight so all fans of IESA basketball can view the complete pairings. Scores throughout the day on Saturday will be updated and posted on the IESA website.