
By Greg Halbleib
BLOOMINGTON – For the first time in memory, local squads have been shut out of the four championship games of the State Farm Holiday Classic.
In the Small School Boys division semifinals, Quincy Notre Dame defeated Central Catholic 66-45 and St. Joseph-Ogden nipped Olympia 70-67. Central Catholic and Olympia play for third place at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
In Small School Girls play, Central Catholic fell short in a 55-41 loss to Rockford Lutheran. Central Catholic faces Rock Falls at 9 a.m. Friday for third place.
In Large School Girls action, Morton edged U-High 42-39 to send the Pioneers to the third place game against Rochester at noon on Friday.
The Friday championship schedule for the Classic finds Rockford Lutheran vs. Camp Point Central/Augusta Southeastern for the Small School Girls title at 3 p.m., Quincy Notre Dame vs. St. Joseph-Ogden for the Small School Boys crown at 4:45 p.m., Rock Island vs. Morton for the championship of Large School Girls at 6:30 p.m. and Wheaton Warrenville South vs. Joliet Central for the title in Large School Boys at 8:15 p.m.
All games are played at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center.
At the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament, Springfield Lanphier crushed Normal West 64-19 in the championship game.
In the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, Bloomington lost 59-57 in overtime to Benet Academy. Bloomington faces top seed and upset victim Chicago Curie at 11 a.m. Friday.