Central Catholic (32-0) Strives For Perfection In IHSA Girls Final On Saturday

Central Catholic of Bloomington (32-0) will try to run its winning streak to 43 games Saturday in the Class 2A girls final of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) at Illinois State University.

Central Catholic’s opponent will be Notre Dame of Quincy, the team that Central defeated 64-58 in last year’s final.

In the Class 1A final, which gets underway at 3 p.m. EST, River Ridge-Scales Mount Coop (29-1) faces West Central Coop (31-3). The Central Catholic-Notre Dame game is set for 9:15 p.m.

Central Catholic, which is 92-2 over the past three seasons, is led by returning starters Allie Norton (15.1 points per game, 4.8 assists, 83 3-pointers) and Jess Reinhart (15.2 ppg).

Notre Dame (30-1) is looking for its first title since 1984. Notre Dame’s top scorers are 6-foot sophomore guard Jordan Frericks (15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpb) and 6-0 junior forward Tori Kuhn (11.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg).

The Class 1A final will crown a first-time champion.

West Central was state runner-up in 2009. It’s the last chance for seniors Tiffany King and Ashlyn Jacquot, who were starters on that team. King averages 21.2 points and 8.5 rebounds. Jacquot had a 1A state tournament record nine steals in the semifinals.

River Ridge has been led in scoring by Whitney Kieffer, a 5-10 senior forward, in 28 of 31 games. She’s averaging 23.6 per game. River Ridge is seeking its first state title in any sport.