The Belleville Althoff Crusaders won the Illinois Class 3A state championship last weekend in a dominating way.
Althoff defeated New Lennox Lincoln Way West 62-37 to win the first state title in the school’s history. The Crusaders finished the season with a 32-2 record.
Junior forward Jordan Goodwin was the force inside for Althoff, leading the way with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Tarkus Ferguson added 11 points and seven rebounds.
In the semifinals, the Crusaders defeated Westchester St .Joseph’s 68-62 to give some revenge on the team that defeated them in the state championship game last season. Goodwin led the way with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Senior forward Brendon Gooch added 10 points and 11 rebounds, Ferguson scored 11 points while senior guard Keenan Young added 10 points.
The state championship ended a tremendous run for the Crusaders. After finishing second in the state tournament last season, many of the basketball players were mainstays on Althoff’s football team that finished second in the Class 4A state playoffs.
Girls teams win trophiesÂ
Several area girls teams brought home hardware from last weekend’s Missouri state championships in Columbia.
Kirkwood High finished second in the Class 5 state tournament. The Pioneers defeated Francis Howell in the semifinals, but were defeated by Springfield Kickapoo 63-53 in the state-championship game. Junior forward Lauryn Miller had 18 points and eight rebounds against Francis Howell on Friday. Sophomore guard Jayla Everett scored 24 points in the state-championship game against Kirkwood. It was the Pioneers’ first appearance in the Final Four.
MICDS took home a second-place trophy from the Class 4 tournament. The Rams dropped a 41-34 decision to undefeated St. Joe Benton in the championship game. Senior Rachel Thompson had 10 points for the Rams while senior forward Taylor Baur had nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. In the semifinals, MICDS knocked off long-time nemesis Incarnate Word 60-51, breaking the Red Knights’ three-year stranglehold on the Class 4 state title. Baur enjoyed a great performance with 24 points and 13 rebounds while Thompson added 14 points and four assists.
Owensville defeated Incarnate Word 55-46 in the Class 4 third place game. Senior guard Hailey Diestelkamp led the Dutch Girls with 18 points. Incarnate Word finished the season with a 25-6 record. In the girls Class 5 tournament, Liberty defeated Francis Howell for third place.