Downstate State Tournament Preview (1A-3A)

The IHSA Girls State Finals start this Thursday at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University. All 4 classes are down to just 4 teams. We’ll see some familiar faces along with some new faces representing their schools. Here is a look at the schedule: March 3: Class 1A Brimfield vs. Neoga - 10am Serena vs. Galena - 11:45am Third Place Game - 7pm Class 2A Pana vs. Quincy Notre Dame - 2:30pm Winnebago vs. Fieldcrest - 4:15 Third Place Game - 8:45pm March 4: Class 3A Civic Memorial vs. Carmel Catholic - 10am Morton vs. Nazareth Academy Third Place Game - 7pm March 5: 1A State Championship - 11am 2A State Championship - 1pm 3A State Championship - 5:30pm IHSA Bracket Link - <a href="https://www.ihsa.org/Sports-Activities/Girls-Basketball">https://www.ihsa.org/Sports-Activities/Girls-Basketball</a> Here is a breakdown of the downstate teams (schools south of I-80) representing at the State Finals: <hr /> Class 1A Brimfield (29-4) Brimfield comes to Redbird Arena ranked #1 in the last AP poll. They had the toughest road to Normal defeating three top 10 teams (Brown County, Mendon Unity, and Okawville) on their way. Brimfield has outscored opponents 291-207 in the playoffs. This is the Lady Indians second appearance in the state finals and first appearance since 2009. They should be the favorites to bring home the 1A crown. Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="201066" first="Ella" last="Lune"] (2022), Elynn Peterson (2024), Sophie Bedell (2022) Neoga 28-7 The Lady Indians finished the season on the honorable mention list of the AP rankings. They had some close games on their way to Redbird Arena with a 7 point win over Tuscola, 6 point win over Effingham St. Anthony, and overcoming a 14 point 4th quarter deficit against Goreville in the super-sectional by a score of 50-48. This will be Neoga’s first state finals appearance. Neoga has lost to some tough teams, but they will really need to show up to make it past Brimfield. Players to Watch: Sydney Richards (2023), Haylee Campbell (2024), Avery Fearday (2023) <hr /> Class 2A Pana (35-1) The Panthers come into the state tournament ranked #2 in the last AP poll riding a 31 game winning streak. Their only lost this season came to a top ranked 3A team in Lincoln by only a few points. Pana has handled opponents pretty well on the road to the finals passing by Tolono Unity, Marshall, Paris, and Carterville. This is Pana’s third finals appearance but first in 19 years when they brought home a 2nd place trophy. They will match up against a very tough Quincy Notre Dame team in the semis. Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="124895" first="Jillian" last="Hamilton"] (2022), [player_tooltip player_id="160141" first="Anna" last="Beyers"] (2023), Lainey Hicks (2022), [player_tooltip player_id="160150" first="Rachel" last="Holthaus"] (2022) Quincy Notre Dame (28-3) Quincy Notre Dame is a familiar face at the state finals making their 12th appearance. This is a young team that I expect to see back next year with only two seniors on the roster. The Lady Raiders breezed through regionals and sectionals with their closest game being in the super-sectional with a narrow 30-28 victory over Normal U-High. They are led by junior [player_tooltip player_id="148145" first="Abbey" last="Schreacke"] who averages 25ppg. The semi-finals match up with Pana will be a good one to catch. Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="148145" first="Abbey" last="Schreacke"] (2023), Blair Eftink (2023), Eryn Cornwell (2022) Fieldcrest (34-2) Fieldcrest finished the season ranked #6 with their only losses on the season being to 3A Eureka and 4A Normal Community. The Knights bring a balanced attack to the court with three players who average double digit scoring. They passed by Seneca, Paxton, St. Joseph-Ogden, and Chicago Butler to punch their ticket to their first ever state finals appearance. Players to Watch: Ashlyn May (2023), [player_tooltip player_id="265990" first="Kaitlin" last="White"] (2024), Haley Carver (2023), Ella Goodrich (2022), Carolyn Megow (2023) <hr /> Class 3A Civic Memorial (32-4) The Eagles come into the state finals riding a 9 game winning streak thanks to the hot shooting of Olivia Durbin. Civic Memorial had a tough road to Normal defeating East St. Louis (OT), Mt. Vernon, Mattoon, and Mahomet-Seymour enroute to clinching their first ever state finals appearance. They will match up with a tough Carmel Catholic squad Friday Morning. As long as they play their game, they should find themselves in the championship Saturday. Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="124893" first="Kelbie" last="Zupan"] (2022), Olivia Durbin (2023), Aubree Wallace (2023), Meredith Brueckner (2025) Morton (28-5) The Potters are no strangers to Redbird Arena making their 8th state finals appearance with this being their 7th in the last 10 years. Coach Bob Becker has built himself a pretty good dynasty at Morton High School searching for their 5th championship in school history. Morton reaches Normal by taking one of the toughest roads with wins over Peoria High, Galesburg, Washington, and Chicago Marian. Morton will match up with a tough Nazareth Academy team but I expect to see them playing Civic Memorial Saturday evening for the championship. Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="78772" first="Katie" last="Krupa"] (2022), [player_tooltip player_id="347004" first="Tatym" last="Lamprecht"] (2023), Paige Griffin (2022), Maggie Hobson (2022)   <hr />   Aaron Stout is a new scout for Prep Girls Hoops Illinois, and is trying to bring more coverage to central and southern Illinois. He and the rest of PGH Illinois staff seek to cover the entire state by keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in Illinois, please email Aaron Stout at prephoopsaaron@gmail.com or DM him through Twitter @Astoutprephoops.