2017 Eighth Grade IESA Boys Basketball State Finals Tip-Off Saturday
For the 88th consecutive year, the IESA will crown state basketball champions when the 8th grade boys tip-off their tournaments at four different sites this Saturday, February 11. Competition in the Class 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A State Final Tournaments begins Saturday and concludes Thursday, February 16. This is the 11th year of the four class system.
Class 1A will be played at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington while Class 2A is set to tip-off at Mt. Pulaski High School. Tolono (Unity) High School will play host in Class 3A and Class 4A will be at Urbana Middle School.
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. at each site. The four quarterfinal winners will meet in semifinal games Saturday evening with the first of two games set to begin at 5:00 p.m. Third place and championship games will be played Thursday, February 16 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 Website at www.iesa.org as each tournament progresses. In addition, scores will be updated throughout the day indicating which teams will advance in the tournament.
The price of admission Saturday is $7.00 for high school students and adults and $3.00 for students (K-8) and sr. citizens (62+) 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 8th grade state final site. The price of admission for the third place and championship game session Thursday will be $5.00 for high school students and adults and $2.00 for students (K-8) and sr. citizens.
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.
Due to the inclement weather on Wednesday, February 8, there were three sectional games that were not played. Two of those games will be played on Thursday and one will be played on Friday. Complete pairings for each state final, plus the FanZone, can be found at www.iesa.org. Click on the Boys Basketball link at the top of the IESA home page.
Here is a look at the schedule for each of the 8th Grade State Final Tournaments:
| Class 1A @ Shirk Center Illinois Wesleyan University |
| Saturday, February 11 |
| Game 1 | 10:00 a.m. | Virginia (19-6) vs. Decatur Our Lady of Lourdes (22-3) |
| Game 2 | 11:30 a.m. | Pontiac St. Mary's (22-3) vs. Bartonville Monroe or Lincoln Carroll Catholic |
| Game 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Ottawa Marquette (22-2) vs. Sigel St. Michaels (20-5) |
| Game 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Cissna Park (10-10) vs. Peoria Limestone Walters (22-0) |
| Game 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 |
| Game 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| Thursday, February 16 |
| Game 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (Third Place) |
| Game 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (Championship) |
| Class 1A Notes: Last year's 7th grade Class 1A champion, Normal Epiphany is in Class 2A this year. The team they defeated for the title last year, Lincoln Carroll Catholic, will square off on Friday, Feb. 10 against Bartonville Monroe for the sectional title. Should Lincoln Carroll Catholic win their sectional, they will face Pontiac St. Mary's in the quarterfinals. That will be a rematch of last year's 7th grade semi-final game between the two schools which was won by Carroll Catholic by the score of 47-40. Two other teams who participated last year in the 7th grade finals have also advanced this year---Sigel St. Michael's (4th in 2016) and Peoria Limestone Walters (DNP in 2016). Should each win their quarterfinal game, they would meet in the second semi-final game Saturday evening. Both St. Michael's and Limestone Waters lost to Normal Epiphany last year. |
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| Class 2A @ Mt. Pulaski High School |
| Saturday, February 11 |
| Game 1 | 10:00 a.m. | Roanoke-Benson (16-9) vs. Liberty (20-2) |
| Game 2 | 11:30 a.m. | Peoria St. Philomena (19-3) vs. Hazel Crest Jesse White (7-4) |
| Game 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Paris Crestwood (16-4) vs. Champaign Judah Christian or Normal Epiphany |
| Game 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Springfield Blessed Sacrament (20-4) vs. Mt. Pulaski or Decatur Johns Hill |
| Game 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 |
| Game 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| Thursday, February 16 |
| Game 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (Third Place) |
| Game 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (Championship) |
| Class 2A Notes: Last year's 7th grade Class 2A champion, Kewanee Wethersfield was defeated in the sectional Wednesday night by Peoria St. Philomena by the score of 48-39. Normal Epiphany won last year's Class 1A title and is in Class 2A this year. The Knights will play their sectional game on Thursday against Champaign Judah Christian. Judah Christian advanced to the 7th grade finals last year but lost their quarterfinal game to Wethersfield. There are two other teams who played in last year's 7th grade tournament who are in the 8th grade field this year. Those two teams are Liberty (2nd in 2016) and Hazel Crest Jesse White (3rd in 2016). There is one other sectional game that will be played on Thursday night to determine the final team advancing to the 8th grade finals. That game will pit Mt. Pulaski against Decatur Johns Hill. |
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| Class 3A @ Tolono (Unity) HS |
| Saturday, February 11 |
| Game 1 | 10:00 a.m. | Mossville (22-3) vs. Teutopolis (21-4) |
| Game 2 | 11:30 a.m. | Vandalia (23-2) vs. Clifton Nash (22-1) |
| Game 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Wenona Fieldcrest (22-1) vs. Pleasant Plains (23-0) |
| Game 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Burr Ridge MS (19-2) vs. Maroa-Forsyth (18-6) |
| Game 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 |
| Game 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| Thursday, February 16 |
| Game 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (Third Place) |
| Game 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (Championship) |
| Class 3A Notes: The first quarterfinal game of the day will be a rematch of last year's 7th grade Class 3A championship game between Mossville and Teutopolis. Teutopolis handed Mossville its only loss last year when they defeated the Warriors, 41-35, for the 7th grade title. There are three other teams that advanced to the 2016 7th grade tournament who are playing in the 8th grade tournament this year: Vandalia (4th in 2016); Pleasant Plains (DNP in 2016); and Wenona Fieldcrest (DNP in 2016). Fieldcrest defeated Eureka in the sectional, 43-38 in OT to avenge their loss to the Hornets in the first round of the 7th grade tournament last year. |
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| Class 4A @ Urbana MS |
| Saturday, February 11 |
| Game 1 | 10:00 a.m. | East St. Louis Lincoln (24-0) vs. Danville North Ridge (25-0) |
| Game 2 | 11:30 a.m. | Rockford Flinn 16-0) vs. Bloomington JHS (18-7) |
| Game 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Mokena (24-1) vs. Springfield Grant (22-2) |
| Game 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Bolingbrook Humphrey (18-6) vs. Flossmoor Parker (17-2) |
| Game 5 | 5:00 p.m. | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 |
| Game 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| Thursday, February 16 |
| Game 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (Third Place) |
| Game 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (Championship) |
| Class 4A Notes: East St. Louis Lincoln is one of the five teams that participated in last year's 7th grade Class 4A tournament that is in this year's 8th grade field. The Tigers won the 7th grade title last year by defeating the Knights of Bloomington JHS, 55-27. Bloomington has a potential semi-final rematch with the Tigers if they both win their quarterfinal games Saturday morning. There are three other teams that advanced to the 2016 7th grade tournament who are playing in the 8th grade tournament this year: Flossmoor Parker (4th in 2016); Bolingbrook Humphrey (DNP in 2016); and Mokena (DNP in 2016). Humphrey and Parker will meet each other in the last quarterfinal game of the day Saturday afternoon. |
For more information, please contact IESA Associate Executive Director and Basketball Administrator Nicole Schaefbauer at nicole@iesa.org.
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