DAY 4  |  December 30, 2005

Classic rematch
Tonight's Girls Class A final features a rematch of the 2005 Illinois Class A state title game. In that contest, Rock Island Alleman defeated Chicago Hope 58-53 before Hope had to forfeit its state trophy.

More hardware
The Girls AA title game pitting Peoria Richwoods and top-seeded Bolingbrook features the teams that were ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively in the state's preseason Associated Press poll. Richwoods is the defending state champ after going 38-0 last season and carries a State Farm Holiday Classic winning streak of seven games into tonight's tilt. Bolingbrook takes its undefeated 12-0 mark into tonight's title game. The Raiders took home the fourth place state trophy last season. In that state finals tourney, Richwoods and Bolingbrook did not meet.

598 and counting
A Richwoods victory would put head coach John Gross one win away from 600 in his illustrious career. Gross sits at 598-165 after yesterday's semifinal win over Tinley Park Andrew. Gross amassed 544 wins at Bartonville Limestone. He has a 54-2 mark at Peoria Richwoods entering tonight's game.

Small school pride
A big title is on the line when Hartsburg-Emden and CPCI tip off in the Boys Class A title tonight. Both teams carry identical 12-1 marks into the contest. The schools also carry another distinction. With enrollments of 84 students (Hartsburg-Emden) and 196 students (CPCI), the two squads represent the smallest enrollments in the Boys Class A field.

WWW
Since Rochester entered the Girls A field in 1999, the Rockets have played consistently: 3-1, 3-1 (third place), 3-1 (third place), 3-1, 3-1 (third place), 3-1 (third place). Entering today's fifth-place game, Rochester is 2-1 in this year's tournament. A win over St. Joseph-Ogden (whom the Rockets beat on Dec. 10) would give Rochester another three-win tournament appearance.

Record watch I
South Holland Thornwood can win its fifth State Farm Holiday Classic title tonight when the Thunderbirds take on Rockton Hononegah in the Boys AA title game. A fifth title would match the Holiday Classic's overall mark set by the Galesburg Boys (1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1997. Thornwood won four straight titles from 1999-2002.

Record watch II
The Normal Community Ironmen have been on the defensive. The Ironmen, who entered the tournament as the No. 11 seed, won their first two games and meet Rock Island in the Boys AA third-place game. The Ironmen are on the verge of shattering several tournament records for defensive average. In the first three games, Normal Community has only allowed 92 points (an average of 30.7 points per game). The overall mark for team defense in a four-game tournament is 152 points allowed (South Holland Thornwood in 2003). The all-time mark in boys play belongs to Normal University High (36.3 points per game allowed in 1992 - 3 games).

Record watch III
Brittany Johnson of Olney East Richland has a chance to set a new individual scoring mark. Johnson, who tallied 30 and 31 points in her first two games, has scored 77 so far in the tournament (25.6 points per game). The four-game Girls Class A scoring record belongs to Normal University High School's Ashlee Pistorius (95 points in 2001). Sammy Kromm of Mendota set the scoring average mark of 28.0 points per game in 2000.

DAY 3  |  December 29, 2005

30-point club
Brittany Johnson of Olney East Richland became the first player to
record back-to-back 30 point games at the Holiday Classic since
Mendota's Jami Bice did it in 1997. Johnson followed up her 31-point
performance in round 1 with a 30-point game in leading Olney East
Richland into tonight's semifinals. In Boys Class A tournament play,
Taylor Ridge Rockridge sharpshooter Tyson Blaser scored a career high 36 points in the Rockets second-round upset win over top-seeded Chillicothe IVC.

First to 50
Normal University High School's second-round victory over El
Paso-Gridley in Boys Class A play gave the Pioneers 50 victories in the
history of the Holiday Classic. Heading into today's play, U-High's boys
team owned a 50-38 mark in the 27 years of tournament play.

Semifinal void
Since the Girls tournament started in 1997, the Galesburg Silver Streaks have appeared in the semifinals every year, winning the title three times. That semifinals streak was snapped this year with Galesburg's second-round loss to Tinley Park Andrew.

What a mark
By moving into the Girls AA semifinals, Peoria Richwoods moved its
overall Holiday Classic mark to 16-2, a winning percentage of .889. The
Lady Knights ride a six-game Classic winning streak into today's
semifinal tip with Tinley Park Andrew.

Gulf Coast assistance
Experience the Classic Encounter and you can help some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Classic Encounter is a fan interactive area, featuring inflatables and games provided by Peoria's Fun on the Run. You can visit the Encounter at Horton Field House on Dec. 29 from noon-9 p.m. before it moves to the Shirk Center on Dec. 30 from noon 9 p.m.

Donations will be accepted for entry into the Encounter. All money
collected will be donated to Jesuit High School in New Orleans. Jesuit
participated in the 2003 State Farm Holiday Classic, finishing third
place in the Boys AA bracket. Jesuit High School was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina - its gym was under more than six feet of water.

DAY 2  |  December 28, 2005

Lucky No. 13
Normal Community was the lowest seed to win on Day 1. The No. 13 seed Lady Iron knocked off Naperville Neuqua Valley. Normal Community's boys' team also scored an upset, knocking off the sixth-seed, Galesburg. In Girls Class A, the seedings held to form, while in Boys Class A, the only lower seed to win was No. 9 seed Taylor Ridge Rockridge. Other lower seed winners included Chicago St. Rita (Boys AA No. 10 seed).

30-point club
Three players topped the 30-point mark on Day 1. Brittany Johnson of
Olney East Richland scored 31 in the evening session, matching Chicago
Hope's Latear Eason's 31 in the morning session of Girls Class A.
Urbana's Adam Douglas chipped in 30 in an overtime loss to Tinley Park
Andrew in Boys AA.

Double duty
Rock Island knocked off Gainesville, Fla., in double-overtime on Day 1,
marking the first double-overtime game in the Boys Class AA bracket
since 1998. Rock Island is used to playing extra time. Earlier this
year, the Rocks beat Quincy in a triple overtime conference game.

Gulf Coast assistance
Experience the Classic Encounter and you can help some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Classic Encounter is a fan interactive area, featuring inflatables and games provided by Peoria's Fun on the Run. You can visit the Encounter at Horton Field House on Dec. 28-29 from noon-9 p.m. and at the Shirk Center on Dec. 30.

Donations will be accepted for entry into the Encounter. All money collected will be donated to Jesuit High School in New Orleans. Jesuit participated in the 2003 State Farm Holiday Classic, finishing third
place in the Boys AA bracket. Jesuit High School was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina - its gym was under more than six feet of water.

DAY 1  |  December 27, 2005

Hurricane help
Experience the Classic Encounter and you can help some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Classic Encounter is a fan interactive area, featuring inflatables and games provided by Peoria’s Fun on the Run. You can visit the Encounter at Horton Field House on Dec. 27-29 from noon-9 p.m. and at the Shirk Center on Dec. 30.

Donations will be accepted for entry into the Encounter. All money collected will be donated to Jesuit High School in New Orleans. Jesuit participated in the 2003 State Farm Holiday Classic, finishing third place in the Boys AA bracket. Jesuit High School was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina – its gym was under more than six feet of water.

Welcome
Eleven teams will be making their State Farm Holiday Classic debuts today. In boys play, four teams tip off for the first time at the Classic – Macon Meridian (A), Gainesville, Fla. (AA), Springfield (AA) and Urbana (AA). Among the girls teams, the Class A bracket features four teams making their debut – Kankakee Bishop McNamara, Olney East Richland, Orion and St. Joseph-Ogden. Top-seed Bolingbrook joins Montgomery (Ala.) George Washington Carver and Naperville Neaqua Valley as new entrants.

Matching the mark
With a win today, Chillicothe IVC will match the mark of its predecessor, Chillicothe High, which went 8-0 when it began the 1967-68 season.