BOLINGBROOK - The seventh grade girls basketball team from Alton Middle School won its two games in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 4A state tournament on Saturday, winning the quarterfinal over Lockport Oak Prairie 44-27, then won the semifinal game over Taylorville 35-28 to advance to its second straight championship game, extending the team's winning streak to 49 games. The games were played at Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook, in northwest suburban Chicago.
In the quarterfinal against Oak Prairie, the Junior Redbirds took a 13-4 lead after the first quarter, then extended it to 30-12 at halftime and 39-20 after the third quarter. Point guard Kiyoko Proctor led the way with 14 points, including a pair of threes, while forward Jarius Powers had 12 points, and Talia Noman added seven in the game.
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The semifinal against Taylorville was a battle of unbeaten teams, and in the opening quarter, Alton hit on six threes, including four from Proctor, and one each from Powers and Kaylee Lacey as the Junior Redbirds opened up an 18-7 first-quarter lead, extending it to 28-11 at halftime. Taylorville was able to cut the lead to 30-20 at the end of the third, but Alton was able to hold off Taylorville in the final quarter to go on to the win.
Proctor once again led the way with 21 points, while Powers and Lacey had five points each, and Norman scored four.
The Junior Redbirds are now 24-0 on the season, and will play Canton Ingersoll, a 29-20 winner over Effingham in the quarterfinals, and 31-20 over New Lenox Martino in the semifinal, for the state championship Thursday night, with the game set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
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