Holden Krusemark
Sports Anchor
East Peoria, IL
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Sunday’s game marks the end of the five-year careers of guards Da’Monte Williams and Trent Frazier. They pulled off the Illini jersey for the final time. They played every game of the five years Underwood has been in Champaign.
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Peoria area senior high school basketball players took to the court on Sunday as part of the Peoria Kiwanis All-Star Basketball games.
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Bradley Softball got a walk-off victory on a seventh-inning squeeze play to take the opener of a doubleheader with Loyola 2-1, but the Ramblers took the rubber match of the three-game series with a 4-0 shutout of the Braves Sunday afternoon.
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Dunlap baseball, Morton baseball, Richwoods baseball, Normal Community baseball, Normal Community softball, Pekin softball, Normal Community soccer, Metamora soccer, Normal Community football signings.
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The team getting recognized for its IHSA Class 3A State Championship Game appearance, bringing home the state runner-up trophy.
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Illinois is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season after claiming a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
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The Redbirds defeated Northern Iowa 50-48 to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and clinch the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
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Matthew Leritz lead the Titans with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Bloomington Central Catholic grad Luke Yoder posted 20 points. Wabash’s Jack Davidson lead the game in scoring with 29.
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The Redbirds fell to the Sacred Heart-Griffin in double overtime 53-50, finishing the season as Class 3A Runner-Up.
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The Redbirds advance to the IHSA Class 3A State Championship Game on Saturday against Sacred Heart-Griffin at 5:30 p.m. at the State Farm Center.
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It’s the first time Metamora basketball has ever reached state.
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The No. 20 Illini picked up a crucial 74-72 win over No. 24 Iowa on senior night.
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The Redbirds finish the season 16-13 overall and 12-6 in conference. Illinois State has now swept the Braves in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013.
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The No. 7 Titans, playing at home in the first two rounds, beat No. 14 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 65-56 in the second round of the tournament Saturday night.
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Brimfield was down 22-11 in the second half, but rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Galena 32-31 behind a game-winning free throw from senior guard Elynn Peterson.
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The Bradley men, Illinois State men, and the ICC women all playing in their regular season finales, all three were at home, and all three dominated their opponents to end the season on a high note.
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It was also a historic day in Bloomington as the first IHSA state titles in girls wrestling took place. Two Heart of Illinois grapplers battling for state titles.
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Peoria Notre Dame takes on Peoria Manual in the Limestone Regional Finals Friday night. A battle that was set for a Super Sectional showdown back in 2020, but one we never got to see play out due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down the state tournament.
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The last time Normal Community won a Big Twelve title was during the 2014-15 campaign, when the Ironmen made a run all the way to the Class 4A State Championship.
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The win puts the Rivermen at 15-0-2 in their last 17 straight games, which means Peoria hasn’t lost a regulation game in their last 17 contests and has earned at least one point in 17-straight games.
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Saturday was state championship day in high school wrestling, with a handful of area wrestlers fighting for a state title.
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Michigan State had a big second half to pull within two points with under a minute left, but the Illini held on to win 79-74.
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Illinois State jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first half, but Bradley took command about halfway through the second half to win 72-64.
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The Lady Knights picked up their 30th win of the 2021-22 campaign, breaking a school record for most wins in a season.
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With a blend of veteran leadership and talented youth, Normal Community is ready to make a postseason run in Class 4A
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Midland basketball has seen an incredible turnaround this year and are having their best season since 2009
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The Illinois State Redbirds are officially in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings and the Bradley Braves finally have a win in Missouri Valley Conference play.
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IWU won 66-57 behind 14 points from Cody Mitchell, 13 points and 14 rebounds from Matthew Leritz, 11 points from Pete Lambesis, 10 points from Cory Noe, and 10 points from Nick Roper.
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Saturday’s high school slate featured a lot more than just some hoops, but there was plenty of basketball going on.
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The Lions might be young, but they continue improve each day, evidenced by their undefeated mark in 2022, their 15-point comeback win on the road against Class 4A state-ranked Normal Community, and their now 2-1 mark against state-ranked in-city foe Peoria Notre Dame.
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Cockburn posted 37 points on 16-19 FG and 12 rebounds to lead Illinois to a 16-5 overall record and 9-2 conference, good for sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
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Sunday afternoon at Carver Arena, Bradley used a loud-charging first half to power its way to a 67-52 win over Indiana State, good for their fourth win in a row.
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Metamora got a huge win over Morton 38-35 in Mid-Illini play after Alyssa Russell hit a game-winning shot with a second left for the Redbirds.
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Brimfield girls basketball is in prime position to make a deep state tournament run, something their five seniors have been building toward for years.
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A big day of high school hoops across the Heart of Illinois. Starting in the Heart of Illinois Conference/McLean County Tournament where it was title night.
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Bradley once again led by double-digits in a game during the second half and managed to avoid a second-half meltdown, which has plagued them in several of their losses this season.
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The I-74 Rivalry renewed Sunday night at Redbird Arena. The 2021-22 seasons first edition was a game of runs, with Bradley taking a 35-15 lead in the first half, but Illinois State rallying to win the game 74-65.
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It’s been a meteoric rise for Chicago-native and Illinois State junior guard Antonio Reeves.
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Saturday’s high school hoops featured some tournament play and also some of the premier teams in the Heart of Illinois facing off against each other.
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High school hoops on Monday featured four area state ranked teams in action and one of those teams falling in a huge upset.
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It was snowing and cold outside, but inside Redbird Arena Illinois State navigated its way through a tough battle against I-74 rival Bradley. The Redbirds (5-7) beat the Braves (3-7) 64-57 to pick up their fourth win in their last six games.
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The first night of many area holiday basketball tournaments tipped off Monday night.
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Peoria Notre Dame girls basketball is full of Christmas cheer during the quick break in their season. The Irish are 11-1 to start the season behind a stifling defense, balanced offensive attack, and sophomore guard Mya Wardle.
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The Illini officially snapped their three-game losing skid to Missouri Wednesday night with a dominating 88-63 win in the annual Braggin’ Rights game. Bradley kept up its recent winning ways with a 73-66 win over UTEP in the Sun Bowl Invitational Championship Game.
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Wednesday night high school hoops edition featured a couple tournament championships in girls basketball.
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After somewhat of sluggish starts to the season, both Illinois State and Bradley men’s basketball are hitting their stride and playing their best basketball of the young season.
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In boys basketball, Metamora beat Normal U-High 67-47, Morton knocked off Olympia 59-20, Illini Bluffs took down Peoria Heights 51-35, while Bloomington Central Catholic fell to Pleasant Plains 67-59 in overtime.