Youth basketball: Taft seventh-grade boys advance to Elite Eight
From Submitted Reports February 1, 2013 10:38AM
The seventh-grade boys basketball team from Taft Junior High of Lockport beat Ford Heights Cottage Grove 37-21 Wednesday in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A supersectional at Bourbonnais.
Taft thus advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 105 years. Coach Ron Becker’s team (13-3) will take on Decatur Robertson (22-2) in the 11:30 a.m. quarterfinal Saturday at Clinton. Semifinals will be played later Saturday, with the third-place and championship games next Thursday.
The Joliet area also has two representatives the seventh-grade Class 4A quarterfinals at Normal Kingsley. Martino (16-5) will face East St. Louis Lincoln (18-1) at 11:30 a.m. and Minooka will test Canton Ingersoll (25-0) at 1 p.m. Semifinals are scheduled later Saturday, with third-place and title games next Thursday.
Eighth Grade
Cameron Harris’ layup off a pass from Joseph Yesufu with 42 seconds left Thursday gave Jane Addams a 30-29 eighth-grade boys regional championship victory over Jefferson Thursday.
The game featured 12 lead changes and five ties. The Mustangs will meet Rockford West or Rockford Kennedy in a 6 p.m. Wednesday sectional final at Jefferson in Woodridge. The sectional winner advances to the state quarterfinals Feb. 9.
