State Farm Holiday Classic gets underway next week

Posted on December 21, 2022

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – The best basketball this side of March. That’s the saying for the annual State Farm Holiday Classic, which kicks off Tuesday, Dec. 27 and runs through Friday, Dec. 30 here in the Twin-Cities.

The tournament is hosted at four venues around town: Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center, Normal Community High School, Normal West High School and Bloomington High School.

64 boys and girls teams from around the state will compete in four different brackets. Small school boys, large school boys, small school girls and large school girls. The brackets can be found here.

WJBC will broadcast games throughout the 43rd annual SFHC with a full slate of coverage the opening day.

Tuesday, Dec. 27 broadcast schedule:

Small school girls 12 p.m.: #6 Central Catholic vs. #11 Rock Falls (at Normal Community)

Small school boys 1:30 p.m.: #4 Rockford Lutheran vs. #13 Olympia (at Normal West)

Small school girls 3 p.m.: #4 Winnebago vs. #13 U-high (at Normal Community)

Small school boys 5 p.m.: #6 Bishop McNamara vs. #11 Tri-Valley (at Normal West)

Small school boys 6:30 p.m.: #3 Central Catholic vs. #14 Winnebago (at Normal West)

All tournament information can be found on theclassic.org.

High school basketball on WJBC is sponsored by CEFCU. Not a bank. Better.

Also sponsored by Heller Ford, Ginzkey Law Office, O’Brien Hyundai, Heller Motors, Bank of Pontiac, Country Financial Representative Melissa Isenburg, Land of Lincoln Credit Union, JBJ Insurance, Direct Travel, Floor Coverings International, Country Financial Representative Steve Petersen, Gill Street, McLean County Unit 5 and Jackson Hewett-Alan Ware.

WJBC Staff can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…