Prep Sports

La Salle-Peru athletes in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls bowling, boys and girls wrestling, competitive cheerleading and competitive dance were named to All-Interstate 8 Conference teams for their performance this season.

The Tri-County Conference has released its boys and girls basketball all-conference teams, while the Three Rivers, HOIC and Lincoln Trail announced their girls basketball all-conference squads.

A multitude of the area's young wrestlers have advanced to various youth wrestling state tournaments being held in both Peoria and DeKalb this weekend.

At the Morris Indoor Invitational held at Lewis University, Seneca’s girls placed second of four teams on Thursday.

La Salle-Peru played close with Peoria for three of four quarters but couldn't overcome a poor second quarter in a 51-36 loss in a Class 3A Washington Sectional semifinal on Wednesday.

Hall senior Jack Jablonski was voted NewsTribune Athlete of the Week after scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against Newman.

La Salle-Peru junior Kiely Domyancich placed fifth and Ottawa junior Juliana Thrush sixth to earn medals at IHSA Girls Wrestling State Finals on Saturday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

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.

Kaneland sophomore Angelina Gochis won her second straight state championship Saturday at the IHSA Girls Wrestling tournament to cap off a perfect 36-0 season.

Kaneland's Angelina Gochis won a state championship Saturday at the IHSA Girls Wrestling tournament. The sophomore was one of four area medalists, including teammate Brooklyn Sheaffer, Sycamore’s Ema Durst and DeKalb’s Alex Gregorio-Perez.

A hot start and some smothering defense led to a regional title for Eastland on Friday night. The Cougars hit their first four shots, and Newman never recovered after several early turnovers in a 55-44 loss in the Class 1A West Carroll Regional final.

The opening day of the IHSA Girls Wrestling State Finals was contested Friday morning, with Ottawa's Juliana Thrush, La Salle-Peru's Kiely Domyancich, and Seneca's Catalina Pacheco and Sammie Greisen advancing to the final day.

The 2025 spring season opened in the area Thursday with the Ottawa girls track and field team competing in an indoor meet in Sycamore.

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.

The Fieldcrest boys basketball team advanced to the regional final while St. Bede saw its season end.

The Woodland and Somonauk boys basketball teams fell in Class 1A regional semifinals on Wednesday, while Fieldcrest advanced to a 2A title shot in the Times area roundup.

La Salle-Peru beat Dixon 53-50 in overtime in a Class 3A La Salle-Peru Regional semifinal Wednesday.

Ottawa's Juliana Thrush, La Salle-Peru's Kiely Domyancich, Streator's Lily Gwaltney and Seneca's Cattalina Pacheco and Sammie Greisen will compete at the IHSA girls wrestling state tournament this weekend.

After jumping out to a big lead with several early pins, Oregon held off Newman's comeback attempt to win the Class 1A Oregon Dual Team Sectional 39-30 on Tuesday night at the Blackhawk Center.

A career game by Garret Matznick and a fourth-quarter defensive change helped spur a late surge that lifted Newman to a 68-57 win over Milledgeville in their Class 1A West Carroll Regional quarterfinal.

The Serena, Newark and Somonauk boys basketball teams all claimed postseason victories in Class 1A regional openers on Monday, while Leland saw its season come to a close in the Times area roundup.

Eddie Jones and Ezra Parker combined for 44 points as Amboy won its first postseason game since 2017, Forreston and Eastland won, and Fulton beat Polo in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

The Marquette boys basketball scored the opening nine points of Monday's Class 1A regional quarterfinal against Dwight, led by 20 three minutes into the second quarter and eventually recorded a 66-33 victory at Bader Gymnasium.

St. Bede used a 32-7 run over the first and second quarters to pull away from Ashton-Franklin Center for a 64-47 victory Monday in a Class 1A Amboy Regional quarterfinal in Peru.

The Mendota boys basketball team won its regional opener and more boys basketball results in Monday's NewsTribune roundup.

Amboy grad and Illinois Wesleyan senior guard Mallory Powers was named to the All-CCIW First Team on Monday for the second straight season. The Titans host the CCIW Tournament this Friday to Saturday.

LaMoille's Brayden Klein was voted NewsTribune Athlete of the Week after reaching 1,000 career points.

The La Salle-Peru girls bowling team finished fifth at the state tournament, led by junior Kamryn Oscepinski, who placed eighth to become the third bowler in program history to earn a state medal.

Princeton's Casey Etheridge and Kane Dauber won medals at the IHSA Class 1A state wrestling tournament, while teammates Augustus Swanson, Ace Christiansen and Cade Odell finished top 8.

The La Salle-Peru co-op boys swim team concluded its season at sectionals and the IVCC men's and women's basketball teams wrapped up the regular season.

Seneca's Raiden Terry takes third while teammate Jeremy Gagnon claims fourth in the Class 1A Individual State Wrestling meet on Saturday.

Sterling sophomore Sarah Doughty finished 19th at the state bowling meet, the Golden Warriors swimmers took third and Conner Porter qualified for state in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Sandwich's Cooper Corder and Seneca's Jeremy Gagnon dropped semifinal matchups at the IHSA State Wrestling meet, while Streator's rally came up short in a regular season capper in boys basketball. That and more in Friday's Times roundup.

Newman's Briar Ivey will wrestle for the 157-pound state title on Saturday as the Comets, Erie-Prophetstown, Oregon and Sterling each have wrestlers remaining. Eastland's Peyton Spears eclipsed 1,000 points and Sterling's Sarah Doughty is in 20th at State bowling.

Jayden Fulkerson hit a deep 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to give Princeton a two-point lead, and the Tigers rode the momentum to a 56-47 win over Sterling on Friday.

Oregon girls basketball was proud of its progress after reaching its first regional final since 2014. State boys wrestling and boys basketball was also in action in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup

Sandwich’s Cooper Corder and Seneca’s Jeremy Gagnon both started 2-0 to earn berths into their respective weight classes' championship semifinals at the IHSA Boys Individual State Finals held in Champaign on Thursday. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Dixon was efficient on offense and smothering on defense Thursday night, defeating Boylan 50-20 in the Class 3A Freeport Regional final to take home its second title in as many years.

Here are five storylines to watch in the BCR/NewsTribune area for the boys basketball postseason.

The La Salle-Peru girls bowling team is making its third state appearance in the last four years this weekend.

Newark's Dylan Long scored 40 points, including his 1,000th career point and Somonauk was a winner over Marquette in Wednesday's roundup.

The St. Bede, LaMoille, Bureau Valley and DePue boys basketball teams lost Wednesday.

Nico Battaglia set Sterling's single-season record for 3-pointers, Newman boys basketball won, Dixon fell, Eastland won the NUIC South, Amboy beat Polo 51-50 and the Amboy girls advanced in the postseason in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Five NewsTribune-area football players to watch for the 2025 season.

Seneca and Serena both won girls regional semifinals, while Ottawa and Streator's boys both suffered road losses, plus more in The Times Tuesday Roundup.

The Mendota boys basketball team wrapped up an outright conference title, the Putnam County boys basketball team won its first game of the season and more basketball results in Tuesday's NewsTribune roundup.

Marquette beat St. Bede and Amboy beat Putnam County in the semifinals of the Class 1A St. Bede Regional on Tuesday.

Aniyah Sarver and Sarah Eckhardt combined for 20 points as fifth-seeded Oregon beat third-seeded Hall to advance to Thursday's regional championship against Riverdale. Forreston boys also beat Amboy in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

The Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland girls basketball team used a huge fourth quarter to pull off an upset in the Class 1A Heyworth Regional semifinals on Monday to advance to Thursday's championship game. Plus more results from around the Times area.

The Hall, Henry-Senachwine and Fieldcrest girls basketball teams had their seasons ended Monday in regional play.