Drake Lansman

Eastland slowed the game down against No. 1 Pecatonica and held on for a big 36-31 road win to earn its first sectional title since 2013. 'Our game plan was necessary to win.'

Fulton junior basketball player Landen Leu, who was a key contributor after missing the first month of the season due to a broken ankle, is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week in an online vote. 'Landen came back and immediately changed the dynamic of our team.'

In a physical matchup with Dakota, Eastland won the turnover battle and hit its shots to pull away in the second half en route to a 55-39 win in a Class 1A Pecatonica Sectional semifinal. The Cougars advance to face Pecatonica for a third time this season on Friday.

Ryken Howard beat the buzzer to send Rock Falls to Friday's Class 2A Marengo Sectional final as the Rockets gutted out another pressure-packed victory. It was the second straight game RF beat the buzzer to win.

Sterling's Kaedon Phillips and Nico Battaglia both earned spots on the All-Western Big 6 Conference basketball team. Phillips also eclipsed 1,000 career points in his final game.

Sterling's record-setting season to remember came to an end in the Elite Eight on Monday after falling just short in overtime against No. 1 Washington. 'I’m just proud of the fight in our kids.'

Sterling is set to face Washington on Monday with a shot at qualifying for state on the line. Sterling and Washington faced off in the first Illinois state girls championship in 1977. Two Sterling players, Nia Harris and Janelle Collay, have relatives who played on that team.

Rock Falls freshman Akira Schick was sixth at the state wrestling tournament, Erie-Prophetstown junior Michelle Naftzger took fifth and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Kuitim Heald hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left as Rock Falls survived a thriller to beat Riverdale 61-58 in overtime and win the Class 2A Bureau Valley Regional title. Heald finished with 28 points and set the RF career 3-point record.

Meeting in a sectional final for the first time, Sterling triumphed 39-30 over Dixon to win its first sectional title since 2007 and set the single-season wins record with 30. Madison Austin led the way with 20 points in a physical and intense rematch.

Evan Bushman's clutch 3-pointer lifted fifth-seeded Newman over fourth-seeded Galva, Eastland beat Fulton, Forreston won and Amboy fell to Annawan to Thursday's Sauk Valley area regional semifinal matchups.

Bureau Valley left it all on the court in the fourth quarter but came up just short against Riverdale in Wednesday's regional semifinals.

Kuitim Heald broke Brian Vance's 27-year-old single-single season scoring record to help Rock Falls beat Oregon in Wednesday night's Class 2A regional semifinal matchup at Bureau Valley.

Dixon and Sterling meet at the sectional level for the very first time on Thursday night in a rematch from earlier this season. The Golden Warriors won the matchup in December 44-18. Here is a preview of the 6:30 p.m. showdown.

Sterling outscored Crystal Lake Central by 22 points in the first quarter en route to a 62-30 victory in a Class 3A Boylan Catholic Sectional semifinal Tuesday.