IESA Headlines

2011 Seventh Grade IESA Girls Basketball State Finals Begin Saturday

For the sixth time in Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) history four champions will be crowned in the Seventh Grade Girls State Basketball Tournament series. Competition in the Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 4A State Final Tournaments begins Saturday (December 3) and concludes the following Thursday (December 8) at four sites.

Class 1A will be played at Normal Chiddix Junior High School. Class 2A will be at LeRoy High School. Assumption Central A & M Middle School will be the site of Class 3A tournament and Normal Parkside Junior High School will host Class 4A.

The time schedule for all four tournaments will be the same. Quarterfinals will be played Saturday with the first of four games beginning at 10:00 a.m. The four quarterfinal winners will meet in semifinal games late 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, December 8 with the third place game set for 6:00 p.m. and the championship game scheduled for 7:30.

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. Results will be posted on the web site after each game.

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 girls basketball began in 1979. There was one-class competition from 1979-86, and in 1986 separate state series were conducted for seventh graders and eighth graders for the first time. From 1990-2005 there were Class A and Class AA state series for both seventh grade and eighth grade. Beginning in 2006, the current four class system has been in place.

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

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

Class 1A

The first quarterfinal matchup will be between Gardner and Morton Blessed Sacrament. Blessed Sacrament is making their first appearance in this tournament while Gardner is looking to improve on their 2009 state final finish. The 11:30 a.m. game will feature two first time participants in the 7th grade Class 1A tournament. Atwood-Hammond puts their undefeated record on the line against Peoria Pleasant Valley. Rantoul St. Malachy vs. Effingham St. Anthony will be the third quarterfinal game of the day. St. Anthony took down Pocahontas to advance to their first ever Class 1A state appearance. St. Malachy defeated Armstrong-Ellis to extend their undefeated season to the state quarterfinals. The 2:30 p.m. quarterfinal game will also showcase two first time participants. Griggsville-Perry and Tonica will play to determine the last semifinal spot.

Class 2A

The start of the Class 2A tournament on Saturday will begin with undefeated Mendon Unity taking on Springfield Christ the King. Christ the King is no stranger to this tournament as they took home the state championship in 2009. In the second game of the day undefeated Mt. Olive will play Bloomington Holy Trinity. Mt. Olive had to defeat a tough Hardin Calhoun team to secure their spot at state. Holy Trinity has two previous appearances in this tournament and they will look to top their second place finish in 2008. The 1:00 p.m. game will highlight two first time participants in the 2A tournament. Paris Crestwood will put their undefeated season on the line against Brownstown. The last quarterfinal matchup of the day will also feature Peoria St. Philomena and undefeated Odell. St. Philomena needed a one point victory in the sectional championship to grab a spot at state. Odell was victorious over Bourbonnais St. George to continue their perfect season.

Class 3A

The first quarterfinal at 10:00 a.m. will pit Lawrenceville Parkview against Havana. Parkview is making their first trip to this tournament and Havana will look to improve on their third place finish in 2007. The only undefeated team in the 3A tournament will be making their first appearance, Crest Hill Richland. They will square off against Athens who is also making their first appearance. The last two quarterfinal games of the day will feature all teams who participated in this tournament last year. The first game will be between the defending 3A state champions Assumption Central A & M and Washington Central. St. Joseph and Wenona Fieldcrest will meet to decide the last semifinal spot. St. Joseph took home fourth place honors just a year ago in this tournament.

Class 4A

There is great mix of experience this year in the Class 4A tournament. Minooka is making their first appearance since 2009 and they will be taking on newcomer New Lenox Martino. The 11:30 a.m. quarterfinal game will showcase two previous state champions, Chatham Glenwood (2009) and Rochester (2008). The third quarterfinal game of the day will be between Mahomet-Seymour and Edwardsville Liberty. Both of these teams are making their first appearance in this tournament. Both Mahomet-Seymour and Edwardsville Liberty narrowly defeated their opponents by one point to lock up their spots at state. In the final matchup of the day, Normal Kingsley will take on Matteson Colin Powell. Kingsley will begin their journey to defend their 4A state championship and Colin Powell will be making their first appearance since 2008.