By Woodrow Carroll
Illinois’ oldest high school basketball conference, the Little Ten Conference, held its 101st basketball tournament last week at Somonauk High School. The Indian Creek High School Timberwolves more than upheld the team’s No. 1 tournament seed, and it ended a long-running struggle to win the school’s first tournament championship.
Indian Creek, the school successor to Shabobona High School which serves Waterman and Shabbona. Indian Creek, 24-0, defeated No. 6 Newark, 62-33, in the championship game Friday.
The Little Ten Conference has changed in so many ways over its more than 100 years.
Sandwich beat Rollo, 16-9, in the championship game of the first tournament in 1920. Both schools long since have left the Little Ten. Sandwich left the Little Ten after the 1966-1967 season. Rollo was merged with Shabbona after 1954 and is part of the Indian Creek conglomerate.
With consolidation, co-ops, closings, and mergers, you have to double check to understand alignments. Champion Indian Creek merits a good look.
In 1993 it was Shabbona and Waterman to become one as Indian Creek. And, in the past year Paw Paw became a sports co-op with Indian Creek. Shabbona, Waterman, Paw Paw, and Rollo were charter members of the Little Ten when the conference came into being in 1919-1920.
Prior to 1993, schools such as Shabbona and Waterman were Conference powers by winning more than their share of tournament championships. Since that time the trophy case at Indian Creek (Shabbona) has been rather empty.
Nine times prior to Friday in Somonauk, the Timberwolves reached the championship game of the Little Ten Tournament. And, on all nine occasions, Indian Creek was forced to settle for second place. Even when it came to regular season honors, the Timberwolves were forced to share first place with other conference teams on three occasions.
Five of the nine championship game defeats suffered by Indian Creek in championship play, were at the hands of Newark.
The championship game score was 10-10 after one quarter Friday. Going into the fourth quarter, Indian Creek led, 52-23. The Timberwolves had reeled off an incredible 33 straight points against Newark, the No. 6 seed which won two games in upsets to reach the championship game.
The third-place game went to Somonauk, 63-56, over LaMoille-Ohio with Earlville a 62-48 victor over Hinckley Big Rock in the consolation championship.
The DePue High School Little Giants, with an enrollment of 120, will be the second smallest member of the Little Ten after Leland, enrollment of 78, in the Fall semester. Long respectable in basketball and with a good soccer program, the Little Giants’ addition will bring the Conference back to 10 members.