Yesterday started the State final four tournament in girls varsity basketball. The Serena Lady Huskers finished their successful season taking 4th place in the Class 1A. In the Semifinal Serena suffered a tough loss to Galena 58-31. The Lady Huskers competed later in the night for the 3rd place but unfortunately came up short to Neoga and lost 45-23. The Serena Lady Huskers finished 33-4 for the season and Katie Baker was named to the Associated Press Class 1A All-State first team.
In the Class 2A semifinal, The Fieldcrest Lady Knights fought back with a strong 2nd half but fell short to Winnebago 51-47. Fieldcrest finished 4th in state for the Class 2A after being outscored by Pana 49-45 in the 3rd place contest.
All the Girls Championships will be decided on Saturday at the Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.
Tonight in the varsity boys sectional championships:
- At the Woodland Class 1A, Yorkville Christian faces Putnam County
- In the Watseka Class 1A, Lexington takes on St. Teresa in Decatur
- At the Pecatonica Class 1A, Scales Mound versus Sterling Newman Central Catholic
- In the Marengo Class 2A, Rockford Christian faces Rockford Lutheran
- At the Peoria Class 3A, Metamora takes on Rock Island
In College Basketball
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is underway in St. Louis. Illinois State beat Indiana State 58-53 to advance, while Evansville lost to Valparaiso 81-59. Today, the Redbirds face Northern Iowa, Loyola battles Bradley, Valparaiso meets Missouri State, and Southern Illinois faces Drake.
The 17th-ranked Fighting Illini are enjoying their first winning streak in about a month after beating Penn State 60-55 in Champaign. The Illini wrap up the regular-season Sunday hosting the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Other college basketball action tomorrow, DePaul visits 19th-ranked UConn, while Notre Dame hosts Pitt. Northwestern hosts Minnesota on Sunday in their regular season finale.
The Chicago Bulls have lost three straight for just the second time all season after they fell to the Hawks 130-124 in Atlanta. The Bulls look to avoid matching their season high four-game skid when they host the Bucks tonight.
Alex DeBrincat netted the game winner midway through overtime to lift the Blackhawks past the Oilers 4-3 at the United Center. The Hawks visit Philadelphia tomorrow before returning home to host Tampa on Sunday.
The Chicago Fire are set for their MLS home opener tomorrow against Orlando at Soldier Field. The Fire started the season with a scoreless draw in Miami last weekend.
Over in the PGA, Rory McIlroy is leading the way at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after the first round of play in Orlando Florida.
NASCAR’s finest will look to hit the jackpot in Sin City on Sunday. The Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube will take place from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.