Breese, Woodlawn claim state championships
PEORIA, Ill. — Book it.
A Breese Central championship, that is.
Brandon Book accounted for more than half of his team’s points as Breese Central topped Normal University 53-47 in the Class 2A boys basketball state title game Saturday night at Carver Arena. It’s Breese Central’s first boys basketball state championship in six downstate trips.
Book, who plays center, connected of 4 of 7 3-pointers and finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Breese Central (34-1) trailed at the half but produced a 17-6 spurt to take the lead in the third quarter. The Cougars held it the rest of the way, though Normal University drew within 2 points twice in the fourth quarter.
Mitch Styczynski led Normal University (28-5) with 10 points.
Ÿ Thomas Kopelman’s eight 3-pointers led Rockford Lutheran to a third-place finish with a 55-51 win over Seton Academy in the Class 2A third-place game.
Kopelman easily set the Class 2A record Saturday and tied the all-time state finals record for 3-pointers made in a game. The 2A record was five. Kopelman had 26 points overall. Lutheran led by as many as 12 points in the first half before the Sting made a run at the game in the second half, even pulling ahead 46-45 with just less than five minutes to go. But a tip-in by Teyvious Montgomery put the Crusaders back on top and two free throws each by Nate Wieting, Montgomery and Kopelman closed out the game.
Class 1A
Woodlawn 48, Carrolton 45: A.J. Webb hit a clutch 3-pointer with 17 seconds left, then Christian Hollenkamp nailed 2 free throws with 2.1 remaining to give Woodlawn a 48-45 win against Carrolton at Carver Arena.
Carrolton’s Joey Coonrod broke free for a clean runner in the lane between the clutch shots from Woodlawn, and the ball teased everyone by almost going in before rolling off the side of the rim and forcing the Hawks to foul Hollenkamp.
Webb’s emotions swung wildly in the waning seconds.
“I was really pumped up after hitting the 3, but then I’m praying that (Coonrod’s) shot doesn’t fall,” Webb said. “Fortunately, it didn’t and Christian was able to knock those free throws down and we were able to hang on.”
Hollenkamp finished with 15 points, Gabe Owens added 11 and Webb had 10 for the Cardinals (29-5).
Coonrod ended the game with 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Hawks (30-5). Jordan Harr added 12 points and Mike Fraley 11 for Carrolton.
Ÿ In a game that was close the whole way, North Shore Country came up short against Illini Central in the Class 1A third-place game, falling 51-48.
Austin Curren score a game-high 17 points to lead North Shore (20-5). Jared Entwistle had 15 and Duncan McClure 14 for Illini Central (17-14).