NORMAL – Edwardsville's girls basketball team will be attempting to bring home the program's first Illinois High School Association state championship this weekend from Redbird Arena on the Illinois State campus in Normal.

The Tigers, 31-0 on the season, will take on Lombard Montini, who are 32-1 on the year, in a Class 4A semifinal contest at 5:30 p.m. today, with Geneva taking on Palatine Fremd in the other semifinal at 7:15 p.m. The final is set for 7:15 p.m. Saturday, with the third-place playoff game beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

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The last time Edwardsville reached the state tournament, the Tigers finished second to Chicago Whitney Young in the 2012 Class 4A tournament, the Tigers falling 63-51 in the final that year. Edwardsville previously reached the state tournament three times in the two-class system, losing in the 2004 Class AA quarterfinals to Winnetka New Trier, the 2005 Class AA quarterfinals to Bartlett and the 2007 Class AA quarterfinals to Chicago Heights Marian.

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Edwardsville got the state tournament by defeating East St. Louis 66-19 and Belleville East 77-30 in the Collinsville Regional, Springfield 67-47 and Rock Island 48-46 in the Normal Community Sectional and Lisle Benet Academy 59-38 in the Bloomington Super-Sectional at Illinois Wesleyan University. Montini got to state with a 71-28 win over Oak Lawn and 46-39 win over Downers Grove North in the Oak Lawn Regional, a 77-47 win over Maywood Proviso East and a 67-52 win over Chicago Whitney Young in the Argo Summit Sectional and a 39-35 double-overtime win over Homewood-Flossmoor in the Chicago Mother McAuley Super-Sectional to reach Redbird Arena.

Makenzie Silvey leads the team in scoring with a 15.9 points-per-game average, followed by Rachel Pranger and Kate Martin with 13.3 PPG, Christe'on Waters at 8.3 PPG and Myriah Noodel-Hayward at 7.2 PPG among the regular starters. Pranger leads the team in rebounding with a 8.1 rebounds-per-game average, followed by Waters at 5.6 RPG, Martin at 5.5 RPG, Noodel-Hayward at 4.0 RPG and Silvey at 3.1 RPG.

This weekend's game will be available on-line via ihsa.tv by way of the NFHS Network live-streaming website; the NFSH Network site will provide the stream of CSN Chicago, who has the contract to televise the IHSA's state tournaments. The stream costs $9.99 to access for a 30-day pass. The CSN Chicago telecasts are also available for sports package subscribers to AT&T U-Verse on channels 691 or 1691 (CSN Chicago) or 692 or 1692 (CSN Chicago Plus, the overflow channel), DirecTV (channel 665) or Dish Network (channels 429, 440 or 9575); Charter Spectrum does not pick up the feed from the IHSA Network.

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