By Eric Stock

NORMAL – Normal Community came within one win of capturing the school’s first ever state basketball championship, leaving the school with plenty of reason to celebrate.

“The accomplishments we had, they can’t be taken away just because of that last game,” senior Tyler Seibring said after a postseason celebration at the school on Sunday. “We had a lot of fun beating a lot of good teams.”

NCHS set a school record with 33 wins, but had to settle for runners-up after falling to Lincolnshire Stevenson, 57-40, in the Class 4A title game at Carver Arena in Peoria on Saturday.

Senior Alex Peacock said despite the lofty expectations for the team this season, he didn’t imagine going farther than any team in NCHS history.

“I never thought, coming here my sophomore year, that I would be in a state title game and accomplishing so much,” Peacock said.

Coach Dave Witzig joked he had become annoyed at references from the Chicago media who knew little about Normal Community and seemed more interested in a Simeon vs. Stevenson title game matchup.

Peacock, who led the Ironmen with 25 points in the upset of top-ranked Chicago Simeon in the supersectional and posted a game-high 16 in the semifinal win over Geneva, said the team relished the underdog role.

“We used it as fuel,” Peacock said. “They didn’t know who we were. We wanted to make them know who were were,”

Witzig, who led the Ironmen to fourth place in 2011, noted his players and coaches just wrapped up a season they won’t ever forget.

“This is going to be one of those teams where we are in your 70s and 80s we are going to be calling each other on a March Tuesday night and say ‘Remember when we beat Simeon?’, Witzig said. “Just great memories this year.”

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].