The Byron boys basketball team shined when the lights were brightest, joining the football team downstate on a championship quest. The Tigers shot lights out in a command performance win over upstart Chicago Latin in the super-sectional.
Fans of Byron athletics have been witness to a dream year with boys and girls sports, and a few extra miles of driving along the way. And, wasn't Sterling's Musgrove Fieldhouse a much better atmosphere compared to when 2A used to be at NIU?
Congratulations to Byron and Pecatonica for decisive sectional wins. For both, it was a long time coming. Pec had never won a sectional, while Byron (29-2) won one in 2007.
The Byron sectional loss that stands out most to me was in 2012 to Rockford Lutheran. The Tigers came into that game 28-0 and had already beaten Lutheran twice.
What I remember most is how demoralized coach Tom Schmidt was afterwards. As reporters, we’re supposed to be impartial, but I felt that pain also.
Here’s why Lutheran won after losing the previous two contests: Their squad was composed of players who hadn’t been together as long as the homegrown Byron talent.
The Byron kids had played together for so many years, that they came into the season in top form. Lutheran, though more athletic, was like a rough draft that needed to be refined.
By the time the sectional came around, they finally caught up to Byron and in all likelihood surpassed them in talent.
Unless you’re a primo basketball power, it’s a chore to burst through the gauntlet of the IHSA post season.
A few of these elites seem to win sectionals with impunity. If I had to rank a few programs that not only can win a sectional, but win state titles, here are the tops I’ve seen:
No. 1 is Thornridge during 1971 and 1972 seasons. Without a doubt, they are the best team ever to come out of Illinois.
The remaining few include 1981 and1982 Quincy, East St. Louis 1987 through 1989, Proviso East 1991 and 1992, Peoria Manual 1994 through 1997 and Chicago Simeon 2010 through 2013.
With the boys state tournament back in Champaign this weekend, I even have faint memories of Assembly Hall first hosting it in 1963, as we live in a few miles away at the time in St. Joseph. Though it became a political hot potato and was retired several years ago, but I recall my Mom talking about how much she enjoyed Chief Illiniwek strutting around the arena.
Of course, in the 1960s, you had a team named the Pekin Chinks winning state titles. Yes, that name has been changed too. Probably, the strangest mascot state title game was in 1964 between Pekin and the Appleknockers of Cobden.
Getting back to the sectional final between two schools with the same non-offensive name of Tigers, Byron came in as the favorite over Princeton and the law of averages finally came true in the second half.
Byron trailed 25-24 early in the third quarter before completely taking over after that. What was the difference?
Byron finally got its highly-effective transition game going. When they run, few teams can keep up with them. Not because of speed, but because of how smart they run and pass.
There is an art to transition and they have it. Another aspect that gave Princeton trouble was the press. Sure, you can handle for a half, but after a while, you get worn down.
In Pec’s 60-50 win over Eastland, it was a different story. Pec had control of the game, leading by as much as 19 points midway through the third quarter.
But, the pressure of being in high-stakes games in a gymnasium packed to the rafters with 1,300 fans led to one turnover after another. Suddenly, it was only a four-point lead and Eastland in possession of the ball with four minutes left.
Plus, Eastland knew what it was like to win sectionals, while Pec hadn’t. That 22-7 run put together was all Eastland would muster, as Pec regrouped for the win and chance to avenge an earlier overtime loss to Aurora Christian in the super-sectional.
Similar to the Eastland game, Pecatonica led by 20 points, but fell apart.
In the girls state tournament, the best game was in 2A, where Peoria Notre Dame scored on a lay-up as time expired to beat Nashville 48-46. Watch out for Nashville in 2025, as their four best players were freshmen and sophomores.
The best team in the state might be 3A Lincoln. They crushed everyone they played, often winning games by 40-50 points. It would have been interesting to see them in 4A.
Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.
