In longtime Ottawa head coach Mark Cooper’s final game at Kingman Gym, the Pirates scored a season-high 74 points in a memorable regular season finale win over Rochelle on Friday night.

Coal City's Aidan Kenney, Brock Finch and Cade Poyner and Wilmington's Logan Van Duyne will all wrestle for state titles after winning their semifinal matches and more in Friday's Daily Journal roundup.

The Fightin' Irish trailed at the end of each of the first three quarters of Friday's regular season finale against Newark, but in their final home game and the last home game for coach Adrian Provost, Bishop McNamara's seniors rose late for a 68-60 win.

Joliet Central wrapped the regular season with a 49-46 road win over Bradley-Bourbonnais on Friday, with a late steal from Bernal Fox helping seal the win for the Steelmen.

Crystal Lake South faces McHenry in a Fox Valley Conference boys basketball game on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. At McHenry High School.

Images from the IHSA Girls State Gymnastics Meet on Friday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Palatine High School.

The Chicago Bears will travel to Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine next week as they progress through the offseason. Shaw Local's Michal Dwojak and Joe Aguilar preview the combine and what they can learn from the Bears in Indianapolis, plus some stadium talk

Dixon boys play host to Sherrard Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, for the final game of the 2026 regular season. Sherrard won 63-61 on a game winning shot with 10 seconds left.

Clifton Central fell to Roanoke-Benson 49-25 in the IHSA Class 2A Clifton Central Regional championship game, ending its winningest season in nine years, and more in Thursday's Daily Journal roundup.

Bishop McNamara beat Joliet Catholic 52-45 in the IHSA Class 2A Bishop McNamara Regional championship game on Thursday, securing a second straight regional title and avenging a 55-33 loss to the Angels on Feb. 11.

In a matchup of teams looking to add on to their program single-season wins records, Manteno avenged last week's loss to Wilmington with a 50-37 victory in Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Seneca Regional championship.

Ottawa defeated Sterling 33-27 to win the Class 3A Regional title on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at La Salle-Peru Township High School. Check out photos from the game by MaKade Rios.

Rock Island Alleman defeated St. Bede 42-40 during the Class 2A Regional final game on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 at St. Bede Academy.

Crystal Lake South faces Woodstock in the IHSA Class 3A Woodstock North Regional championship girls basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at Woodstock North High School.

Marengo faces St. Edward in the IHSA Class 2A Marengo Regional championship girls basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at Marengo High School.

Just weeks after winning Super Bowl XX, members of the Chicago Bears brought their talents to the hardwood in the Illinois Valley. On February 20, 1986, IVCC hosted the “Good News Bears,” a charity basketball team made up of Chicago Bears players for a United Way fundraiser

Streator defeated Lisle 52-42 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 in Pops Dale Gymnasium at Streator High School. With the victory, the Bulldogs won the Illinois Central Eight Conference title. Check out photos from the game by MaKade Rios.

Bishop McNamara scored a senior night victory in a matchup of 20-plus win teams and Gardner-South Wilmington was defeated in a rivalry matchup with Dwight in Wednesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Woodstock North faces Woodstock in a Kishwaukee River Conference boys basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at Woodstock High School

For the first time this season, the Kankakee boys basketball team took the top spot in this week's Associated Press Class 3A Basketball Poll.

The Bradley-Bourbonnais cheerleading team tied for second place in the co-ed division of the IHSA State Finals on Feb. 7, tying the program's best finish that was last accomplished in 2009.

In similar fashion to last month's matchup at Kankakee, Morris stormed ahead late to top the Kays on Tuesday, this time in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A Metamora Regional.

Coal City beat Reed-Custer and Peotone fell to Lisle in a pair of Illinois Central Eight Conference games with late-season implications on the ICE standings, and more in Tuesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Manteno had a red-hot first quarter from the 3-point line, but visiting Wilmington took total control over the middle quarters to stay in the Illinois Central Eight Conference hunt with a 25-point win at Manteno on Tuesday.

Cary-Grove faces McHenry in Fox Valley Conference boys basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at McHenry High School.

Kaneland defeated Ottawa 70-43 on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Kingman Gymnasium at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by Tom Sistak.

From breezy afternoon games to tournament wins and travel-ready paddles, more people are embracing the growing sport of pickleball – whose quick learning curve and social energy keep drawing more players to the net. There are many places to play throughout northwest Illinois.

The Panthers bested Peotone, the Comets avenged multiple losses to Tri-Point and Cissna Park got past Hoopeston. Iroquois West's Amelia Scharp reached 1,000 career points in her final game, and more in Monday's Daily Journal roundup.

Bishop McNamara clamped down on defense early in Monday's IHSA Class 2A Bishop McNamara Regional semifinal win over Reed-Custer, going on to beat the Comets 60-36.

Ottawa defeated Plano 43-21 during the Class 3A semifinal game on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School. The Lady Pirates will play Sterling in the Regional title game on Thursday. Check out photos from the game by Kyle Russell.

An all-time class of Kankakee boys basketball seniors took their home court for the last time Monday, pulling away in the second half for a 63-47 win over Waubonsie Valley.

Sterling defeated L-P 64-40 during the Class 3A Regional semifinal game on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School. The Lady Warriors will face Ottawa in the Regional title game on Thursday.

Marengo faces Genoa-Kingston in an IHSA Class 2A Marengo Regional semifinal girls game on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, at Marengo High School.

Meet this week's Daily Journal Athlete of the Week, Gardner-South Wilmington's Leondre Kemp.

Ottawa defeated Streator 64-51 on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 in Kingman Gymnasium at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by Tom Sistak.

Area athletes compete in the IHSA Schaumburg Sectional girls wrestling on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Schaumburg High School.

Clifton-Central's Payton Temple was crowned sectional champion and will be joined at state by Bradley-Bourbonnais Sophia Domont. The Boilers' Kayden Roach is also state-bound on the boys side, girls regional basketball action began and more in Saturday's Daily Journal roundup.

Coal City became the only team in Illinois to have all 14 wrestlers punch their tickets to the state finals, while seven more area teams had 12 additional wrestlers advance out of the IHSA Class 1A Coal City Sectional.

Marquette defeated Henry-Senachwine 64-40 on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 at Henry-Senachwine High School.

L-P defeated Rochelle 88-85 in overtime on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School.

Princeton defeated Hall 67-65 on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 at Princeton High School. Princeton's Jackson Mason hit the game-winning jump shot to lead the Tigers to victory.

Gardner-South Wilmington took third place over Momence in the River Valley Conference Tournament, Beecher won a thriller at Tri-Point for fifth and more in Friday's Daily Journal roundup.

St. Anne secured its second straight River Valley Conference Tournament title with a 60-49 win over Clifton Central in Friday's championship game, which also clinched a second straight unbeaten RVC season for the Cardinals.

After Eiden Kubilius helped Lincoln-Way West keep pace in an early back-and-forth battle at Bradley-Bourbonnais, Aidan Bach and Drake Been made big plays down the stretch that allowed the Warriors to escape with a 51-44 win Friday night.

Woodstock faces Johnsburg in a Kishwaukee River Conference boys basketball game on Friday, February. 13, 2026, at Johnsburg High School.

When Henry Hines left his role of Clifton Central girls basketball coach more than a decade ago, he never thought he'd return to the bench. But that's exactly where he's found himself this season, and he couldn't be happier.

Ava Johnson exploded for 30 points and Malea Harrison set the school's single-game assist record as part of her triple-double to help the Kays to a two-point win over Crete-Monee, and more in Thursday's Daily Journal roundup.

Tri-Point downed Clifton Central 51-31 in Thursday's River Valley Conference Tournament championship game, picking up its third win of the season over the Comets and wrapping a second straight season without a loss to an RVC opponent.

Midland defeated Marquette on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 at Midland High School.

The Plainfield East girls basketball team traveled to DeKalb Thursday night to take on the Barbs.