25 Sports High School Friday - February 24, 2023

(25 News Now) - Friday was regional championship night in boys high school basketball. For the second year in a row, Metamora is a regional champ. The No. 1 Redbirds beat Mid-Illini foe East Peoria 60-44 to win the 3A Washington regional. Elsewhere in 3A, Peoria Richwoods is a regional champion. The Knights beat crosstown rival Peoria Manual 64-56 to win the Peoria High Regional. Both Richwoods and Metamora advance to the Galesburg Sectional next week. At the 3A Dunlap Regional, the host Eagles fell 55-44 to Rock Island.

At the 3A Normal West regional, the host Wildcats are the regional champ after a 62-53 win over Morton. The Wildcats now face defending state champion Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin at the Decatur MacArthur sectional next week.

In Class 4A, Normal Community are regional champs defeating Yorkville 61-45 in the Pekin Regional Final.

In Class 2A, No. 1 Prairie Central won their own regional title with a 72-38 win over Monticello. The Hawks advance to next week’s Herscher Sectional. Elsewhere in Class 2A, state-ranked Normal U-High is a regional champion. The Pioneers beat Williamsville 82-54 and advance to next week’s Pleasant Plains Sectional. Also advancing to the Pleasant Plains Sectional is Bloomington Central Catholic. The Saints beat Maroa-Forsyth 80-54 to win the Clinton regional final.

In Class 1A, No. 2 Illini Bluffs won the Lewistown Regional championship in a 56-39 victory over Brown County. Elsewhere, Peoria Christian won the Princeville regionla with a 72-62 win over the host Princes while Lexington won the Ridgeview regional with a 48-38 win over LeRoy.

Other regional title winners include, Midland and Cornerstone Christian in Class 1A, and Elmwood and Pontiac in Class 2A.

We also had plenty of wrestling action on Friday. The 2nd IHSA Girls State Wrestling Finals kicked off with four Central Illinois wrestlers advancing to Saturday’s semifinals: East Peoria’s Bailey Lusch at 105, El Paso-Gridley’s Savannah Hamilton at 130 and Valerie Hamilton at 145 and Canton’s Kinnley Smith at 135.

At the boys team state wrestling finals, Washington moved onto the semifinals with a win over Mahomet-Seymour.

Copyright 2023 WEEK. All rights reserved.