IESA Headlines

2013 Seventh Grade IESA Girls Basketball State Finals Tip-Off Saturday

In what will mark the eighth 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 7) and concludes the following Thursday (December 12) at four sites.

Class 1A will be played at Normal Chiddix Junior High School, with Class 2A tipping-off at Assumption Central A & M Middle School. Auburn High School will be the home for Class 3A action while Normal Parkside Junior High School will serve as the host for 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 12 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.

This year marks the 35th year that the IESA has been conducting girls basketball, as the ever-growing activity made its debut within the Association back in 1979. Only one-class of competition existed then. That was until 1986, when 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, with the current four class system beginning in 2006.

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 2013 Seventh Grade State Final Tournaments:

Class 1A

The Class 1A tournament features four schools who are making their first appearance in the Class 1A finals and four teams who have state tournament final experience, including last year's 1A champions, Danville Schlarman. The first quarterfinal matchup of the day showcases one newcomer and one school with prior state final experience in the Class 1A State Tournament. The newcomer, Washington St. Patrick will bring their 19-1 squad into the 10:00 a.m. matchup against Springfield Christian (22-1). The Wildcats will be making their 4th Class 1A appearance. Augusta Southeastern (22-3) will take on last year's champion Danville Schlarman (19-0) in the second game of the day which should tip-off around 11:30. Schlarman is the only unbeaten team in the field. In the day's third contest, the Flyers of Bartonville Monroe (19-3), who are making their 4th appearance and first since 2010, will go up against the Crusaders of Oglesby Holy Family (20-1). The Flyers have taken home a first place trophy, a runner-up trophy, and a 3rd place trophy, in their previous three appearances. Starting time for the third game of the day is set for 1:00 p.m. Capping off the quarterfinal contests is the matchup between Bourbonnais Maternity BVM (10-3) and Pana Sacred Heart (15-2). Maternity BVM is making their 2nd Class 1A appearance while Sacred Heart is making their first ever appearance in 7th grade Class 1A. Their game should start around 2:30 p.m.

Class 2A

Seven of the eight teams that have advanced to the Class 2A finals have previous state tournament experience including three teams who have previously captured the championship trophy in Class 2A. The first game of the day will feature the Aces of Springfield St. Agnes (13-5) against the Wolverines of Winchester (20-5). This is the 2nd appearance for St. Agnes while the Wolverines are making their 3rd appearance. This year's only newcomer in Class 2A, the Raiders of Bourbonnais St. George (12-3), will take on the Indians of Brimfield (23-1). Brimfield captured first place in Class 2A in 2010 and is making their fourth appearance since 2008. The day's third game features the tournament's only undefeated team, Bloomington Holy Trinity (24-0) against the host school, Assumption Central A & M (22-3). Holy Trinity captured first place honors in 2012 and will be looking to repeat as the champion while Central A & M is making just their second Class 2A appearance. The afternoon of quarterfinal action rounds out in a matchup of teams who each have three losses. Champaign St. Matthew (22-3) will face Mendon Unity (18-3). This is St. Matthew's 5th appearance in the 2A finals while Mendon Unity is making just their 2nd appearance. In their only other appearance, the Colts took home the first place trophy in 2011.

Class 3A

The Class 3A tournament gets underway at 10:00 a.m. at Auburn High School when the Dragons of Hillsboro (19-1) take on the Hornets of Lockport Kelvin Grove (22-2). This is the first appearance for Hillsboro in Class 3A while Kelvin Grove is making their 5th appearance and first since 2010. The second matchup of the day has Tuscola East Prairie (20-3) taking on Dunlap Valley (19-3). Dunlap Valley bowed out in the quarterfinals of the 2012 tournament while Tuscola East Prairie is making their first ever appearance in the 3A finals. The day's third game features two teams who are making their first ever appearances in Class 3A. The Wooden Shoes of Teutopolis (21-3) will square off against the only undefeated in Class 3A, the Utes of Watseka Glenn Raymond (17-0). The fourth and final quarterfinal game of the day has two teams with a terrific history of girls basketball tradition facing each other. Glasford Illini Bluffs (14-6) will play Pleasant Plains (16-6). Since the start of IESA girls basketball in 1979, Illini Bluffs has advanced to eight girls basketball finals (all classes) while Pleasant Plains is also making their eighth appearance (all classes) in an IESA girls basketball state tournament.

Class 4A

Parkside Junior High School in Normal will serve as the host for the Class 4A tournament Action will tip off at 10:00 a.m. when Taylorville (19-6) faces Chicago Heights Washington (15-3). Chicago Heights is making their 3rd trip to the Class 4A finals while this will be Taylorville's first ever appearance. The second game of the day features one of the two unbeaten teams in the tournament, Canton Ingersoll (23-0), taking on Minooka (21-1). Minooka is making their 4th Class 4A appearance. While this is Ingersoll's first appearance in the 7th Grade Class 4A tournament, the school is no stranger to IESA girls basketball tournament play. Including this year, Ingersoll has played in 23 girls basketball state finals (all classes). The third game of the day pits the Mustangs of Effingham JHS (18-1) against the Royals of Bethalto Trimpe (14-3). Both schools are making their second appearance in the Class 4A finals, ironically both of them played in the 2008 tournament. The final game of the day features the other undefeated team in the tournament the Spartans of Frankfort Summit Hill who will take their sparkling 24-0 record into their game against Bulldogs of Lockport Oak Prairie (14-5).