COUNTRY Financial® is proud to be a sponsor of the Chicago Tribune Athlete of the Month. The passion and dedication these athletes show for their sport is the same as the passion and dedication our financial representatives provide for their clients. We live and work in the communities we suppor... Read more

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA), in conjunction with the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and the IHSA’s Play Smart. Play Hard. sports safety education initiative, are proud to celebrate National Athletic Training Month throughout the month of the March. In March, t... Read more

On March 22, 2016, the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette published a moving letter from Karen Snook about Monticello High School football coach Cully Welter. Snook writes about her son's experience as the Sage football team's manager, highlighting that Welter's impact goes beyond X's & O's and the s... Read more

Ottawa Township High School was named the winner of the second annual IHSA Class 3A/4A Student Section Showdown on Saturday, March 19, 2016. Representatives from each of the four Class 3A/4A finalists: Edwardsville, Lincoln-Way West, Ottawa & Prospect (pictured above) – were on hand at ... Read more

The Chicago Tribune has named its 2016 Ms. and Mr. Basketball Award winners based on a statewide vote by coaches and media. Benet Academy senior guard Kathleen Doyle is the 2016 Ms. Basketball honoree after leading the Redwings to back-to-back IHSA Class 4A State Championships. Morgan Park Hig... Read more

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) recently announced one National winner and eight Section winners for the 2016 NFHS Spirit of Sport Award. The Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) nominee, Woodstock North senior student-athlete Wolfgang Kemp (right with ... Read more

The GRENADIERS of the Elk Grove High School were named the top nickname among IHSA member high schools in Illinois, as they emerged as state champions via online fan voting among a 64-school field in the inaugural CSN Chicago Mascot Madness contest. See the CSN Chicago videos below announcing the... Read more

The Rockridge High School and Hales Franciscan High School basketball teams are forever linked together by the events that decided their contest on Friday, March 11, 2016, at the Peoria Civic Center’s Carver Arena. The finish below epitomized the reason the IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals... Read more

Ivan Stone and Brad Halverson share a passion for basketball. They became friends on the court playing together in Caterpillar’s employee basketball league every Thursday night. Both work in the Peoria area. Ivan is a painter at Caterpillar’s East Peoria track-type tractor facility and... Read more

The Associated Press has released its IHSA Boys Basketball All-State Teams for the 2015-16 season. The Class 1A and Class 2A Teams were released on March 10, 2016, by the AP the and Class 3A and Class 4A teams followed on March 17, 2016. CLASS 1A FIRST TEAM NAME, SCHOOL (HT., YR., POS.) POINTS ... Read more

Holy Trinity High School (Chicago) senior Cristian Camarillo knocked down 11 three-pointers to be crowned the 2016 King of the Hill in the Country Financial Three-Point Showdown. Williams won the Class 2A field as a part of the IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals at the Peoria Civic Center’s Car... Read more

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) has released its IHSA Boys Basketball All-State Teams for Class 1A and Class 2A. All-State honorees who were present at Carver Arena for the state finals were recognized on the court. 1A/2A FIRST TEAM ... Read more

On Friday, March 11, 2016 inside the Peoria Civic Center’s Carver Arena, Rockridge High School’s Carson Frakes hit one of the most incredible shots in the history of the IHSA Boys Basketball State Tournament. CSN CHICAGO BROADCAST (PXP Dave Bernhard & analyst Mark Lindo on the cal... Read more

The final weekend of the high school season is upon us as America's Original March Madness closes out its 20th year in Peoria with the Class 3A & 4A State Finals at the Peoria Civic Center’s Carver Arena. The state semifinals will unfold on Friday, March 20 with the third-place and state c... Read more

Breese Central High School was named the winner of the second annual IHSA Class 1A/2A Student Section Showdown on Saturday, March 12, 2016. Representatives from each of the four Class 1A/2A finalists: Breese Central, Dwight, Frankfort and Olympia (pictured above) – were on hand at the IHSA ... Read more

The Illinois High School Association’s March Madness Experience is a fun-fueled interactive family basketball fest held in the exhibit halls of the Peoria Civic Center adjacent to Carver Arena, which is the home of America’s Original March Madness, the IHSA Boys Basketball State Final to... Read more

CSN Chicago recently announced its Mascot Madness contest to crown the best high school nickname in Illinois. Use #MascotMadness on social media to help spread the word to support your favorite school nickname. Rounds run from Monday at Noon until Thursday at 4 p.m. each week until the champion i... Read more

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) recently announced one National winner and eight Section winners for the 2016 NFHS Heart of the Arts Award. The Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) nominee, Rockridge senior student Gabe Stanforth (right with IHSA Execut... Read more

Current Leo High School President Dan McGrath was a long-time writer, including 13 years at the Chicago Tribune, prior to taking the head position at his high school alma mater in 2010. After the Lions came up just short and placed second in the IHSA Class 1A Boys Basketball State Finals, McGrath to... Read more

America's Original March Madness rolls back into Peoria for the 21st year, as the IHSA Class 1A and Class 2A Boys Basketball State Finals take center stage this weekend at the Peoria Civic Center’s Carver Arena. The state semifinals will unfold on Friday, March 11 with the third-place and stat... Read more

The Centralia High School boys' basketball program is one of the most storied in the state, having reached the IHSA State Finals 24 times (the first coming in 1909), which has resulted in three state championships. That type of long-term success led the school to become the winningest high school pr... Read more

Lincoln High School junior Hailie Williams knocked down 11 three-pointers to be crowned the 2016 Queen of the Hill in the Country Financial Three-Point Showdown. Williams won the Class 3A field as a part of the IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals at Illinois State University's Redbird Arena on Friday... Read more

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) has released its IHSA Girls Basketball All-State Teams for Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 4A. All-State honorees who were present at Redbird Arena for the state finals were recognized on the court. CLASS 1A/2A - IBCA FIRST TEAM ALL-STATE... Read more

The Associated Press has released its IHSA Girls Basketball All-State Teams for the 2015-16 season. The Class 1A and Class 2A Teams were released on February 25, 2016, by the AP the and Class 3A and Class 4A teams followed on March 3, 2016. CLASS 1A FIRST TEAM NAME SCHOOL YR. HT. POS. PTS. ... Read more

America's Original March Madness is now in full swing and continues with the IHSA Class 3A & 4A Girls Basketball State Finals at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5. The Country Financial Three-Point Sho... Read more

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has announced the finalists for its second annual Student Section Showdown, with the winners to be announced at America’s Original March Madness, the upcoming IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria. The IHSA Student... Read more

The annual tournament of high school boys basketball teams in Illinois, sponsored by the IHSA, grew from a small invitational affair in 1908 to a statewide institution with over 900 schools competing by the late 1930's. A field of teams known as the "Sweet Sixteen" routinely drew sellout crowds to t... Read more

Please note that the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) does not conduct or vote in any rankings or polls for any sports, nor do polls or rankings factor into State Series assigning. The Associated Press produces statewide class-by-class polls throughout the season in Football, Boys Basketball ... Read more

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) annually bestows an honor, regarded as the highest achievable accolade in high school sports and activities, upon 12 individuals with their respective enshrinement into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame. The Illinois High Scho... Read more