By Bobby Narang
The final four is set in girls high school basketball in Illinois.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) starts the second year of its new format for girls basketball, which includes playing the third-place game on the same day of the semifinals. That forces some teams to play two games in one day, which proved to be tough last season for teams, mentally and physically, to play a second game after losing earlier in the day.
In Class 3A, Peoria will take on last year’s 3A runner-up, Nazareth Academy Friday at 10 a.m., and Lincoln will battle Deerfield at 11:45 a.m..
In 4A, the largest school class, Hersey will play O’Fallon at 2:30 p.m. and Geneva and Benet Academy will meet to close out the semifinals with a 4:15 p.m. game at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
The marquee match pits Geneva, a two-time State champion, against Benet. Led by Indiana-bound Lenee Beaumont, Benet squeezed out a 47-46 victory over Kenwood in Monday’s supersectional, thanks to a basket by sophomore Lindsay Harzich, off a pass from Beaumont, with five seconds remaining in regulation.
The Redwings will have one last opportunity to send out Beaumont with a State championship after placing fourth last season and losing to eventual State champion Stevenson in a semifinal and to Bolingbrook in a third-place game.
The Redwings (24-7), similar to Geneva under head coach Sarah Meadows, are seeking their third State championship under the guidance of head coach Joe Kilbride. The battle of two of the premier programs in the State over the last 10 seasons is a must-see game.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of people didn’t think we would go to State but we didn’t listen to the outside noise,” Beaumont of Benet said. “We had a trust and a bond throughout the year. You have to trust other girls to make plays like we did tonight (following Monday’s victory).”
The Vikings, who won back-to-back State championships in 2017 and 2018, defeated Barrington, a State runner-up last season, 51-47, in the Schaumburg Supersectional. Geneva (30-3) lost to the Fillies in early December 2022, but with Barrington star Sophie Swanson sidelined with an injury, Geneva relied on a strong fourth quarter to advance to Normal. Leah Palmer paced the Vikings with 20 points.
On the 3A side, Nazareth is a favorite to win the State championship, thanks to a season full of victories against a tough schedule. Head coach Ed Stritzel, who built a powerhouse at Trinity, is looking for his first State championship.
Deerfield defeated Montini Catholic, 52-45, at Dundee-Crown behind 23 points from Aubrey Galvan, to spoil the Broncos’ bid for a first State tournament trip under head coach Shannon Spanos.
“Hats off to Deerfield,” Spanos said. “They’re a very good team and moved the ball extremely well and hit some big shots. We got into foul trouble in that second quarter. We had a good start to the game. We played three good quarters of basketball. What I loved about these kids is they never give up. They came back and were willing themselves to get back into that game.”