Two old NCIC rivals Ottawa and Princeton doubled up for a girls-boys twin bill at Prouty Gym in Princeton Tuesday night. Ottawa swept both games, winning the girls game 44-40 and the boys' nightcap 73-43.

BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus takes a look at his all-time BCR volleyball team

Bureau Valley took a one-point halftime lead and played the Tornadoes to a tie game late in the fourth quarter before Alex Foutch hit a game-winning 3-pointer to lift Abingdon-Avon to a 47-45 Lincoln Trail Conference win at the Storm Cellar Friday night.

Top-seeded Princeton Logan defeated LaSalle Lincoln 58-39 to capture the Starved Rock Conference eighth-grade championship Thursday at Peru Parkside.

Here's a look at Bureau County boys statistical leaders including Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede based on available stats

BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus takes a look of the Princeton Masters Bowling Tournament of Honor Roll through 2026. Jim Nack won the first tournament in 1957, also winning four years later in 1961

According to the Sports Business Journal, numbers for girls basketball are down 19% since 2002, while track and field grew by 10%, volleyball by 15% and soccer by 27%. Despite the “Caitlin Clark Effect,” what was once the most popular girls’ sport now ranks fourth.

Princeton rallied for a Three Rivers crossover victory in Orion by outscoring the Chargers 13-6 in the fourth quarter.

While it didn’t have the bright lights of the big stage of the sectional final, Princeton and Rock Falls played as just a competitive game to the last shot with Rock Falls escaping with a 61-58 win at Prouty Gym in Princeton Tuesday night.

Here's a look at championship matches and all Princeton match results from Saturday's Lyle King Princeton Invitational Princeton's Augustus Swanson took first at 113 and Casey Etheridge was second at 165. Coal City won the team title

Sophomore Chace Sterling led three players in double figures with 19 points to lead the Red Devils to a nonconference victory Saturday in Spring Valley. The BV girls notched 1 68-27 win for Illinois in the IHMVCU Iowa-Illinois Shootout at Wharton Fieldhouse in Moline.

The Hall boys basketball team outscored Princeton 16-3 to close out the third quarter, ending on an 11-0 run. That proved just the ticket to send the Red Devils to a 52-49 Three Rivers East win.

Four Bureau County’s collegiate football players went bowling at the end of season - Spring Valley’s Mac Resetich (Illinois) and Princeton’s Noah LaPorte (Northwestern), Teegan Davis (Iowa) and Drew Harp (North Central College).

Last year, the PIT had 98 state qualifiers, 39 state-place winners and seven state champions compete in the tournament. Princeton coach Steve Amy said this year’s tournament promises to have the same caliber of mat talent.

Kewanee spoiled the Princeton Tigers’ homecoming in their first home game of the season, outscoring their hosts 23-10 in the third quarter on the way to a 75-60 victory in Three Rivers East play.

Camryn Driscoll remembered losing to Hall in overtime on a last-second shot last year and didn’t want it to happen again. The Tigresses scored the last six points of the game, including two key free throws by Driscoll for the decisive points in a 41-39 Princeton victory.

Here's a look at Bureau County girls statistical leaders for Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

A look at boys and girls tournament pairings at LaMoille, Ottawa, Princeville, Prophetstown, Senea, Sherrard, St. Bede

The past year saw triumph with state champions and tragedy for Bureau County sports. Here’s a look at the top 10 sports stories that shaped the area sports:

A rundown of holiday hoops for the La Salle-Peru, Fieldcrest, Princeton, LaMoille and Putnam County boys basketball teams.

Halls beat Monmouth-Roseville 57-39 in the old gym Tuesday at Prophetstown. Down the hallway in the new gym, the Storm beat Stockton 51-27 to conclude Warkins Tournament play.

There is one thing you will find behind every winning head coach and successful football program: a good assistant coach who is loyal and dedicated to the head coach and the mission of the team. For 38 years, for nine different head coaches, Charlie Waca was that assistant coach.

Brothers Aden (19) and Cole Tillman (13) combined for 32 points to lead the No. 7 seeded Trojans to victory over the Indians at the 62nd annual Plano Christmas Classic. The Trojans advance to Tuesday’s fifth-place game at 5 p.m. against Ottawa.

Here’s the championship scores from the Lady Bruins Christmas Classic over the years from 1986-2025

A hot start by St. Bede fueled a 51-23 victory over the Sandwich Indians on Saturday evening during the final game of the 2025 Lady Bruins Christmas Classic to claim second place in its own tournament.

Fieldcrest defeated the Roc Falls in quarterfinal play at the State Farm Classic at Normal West High School. Fieldcrest advances to Monday’s semifinals at 6 p.m. Monday back at Normal West.

Cole Tillman scored 24 points and Oliver Munoz added 18 to lead the No. 7 seeded Trojans past the Royals in their opener of the 62nd annual Plano Christmas Classic. Dane Doyle added 10 points for the Trojans, who will face Yorkville Christian in tournament play at 7 p.m. Saturday

The Princeton girls basketball team is streaking into the New Year with a 12-0 record. The win streak is the best to start the season in program history, topping the 10-0 by the 2022-23 team, which finished 27-5.

John Washo has seen and heard a lot of things over his many years officiating collegiate basketball. But he never done anything like his game at Taylor University in Upland, Ind. on Dec. 6 The Princeton native officiated Taylor’s famous “Silent Night” game.

The Mendota Trojans played a bit angry Friday night. They lost their last games earlier this week, falling to Rock Falls by two points and Sycamore by 13. They turned that anger into a 73-51 win over rival Princeton in the Three Rivers East opener for both teams.

The Princeton Tigresses led for 28 seconds in the first quarter and for the final 2:15 in the fourth quarter. That was all they needed to pull out a 47-42 victory over rival LaSalle-Peru in the Ottawa Girls Holiday Tournament Friday afternoon at Kingman Gym.

Charlie Waca, a longtime assistant with four decades on Bureau County area sidelines, will be inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall Fame in the Class of 2026.

Princeton High School didn’t have to look far for its next head volleyball coach Libby Boyles, a 2022 PHS graduate who played for and coached under newly retired coach Andy Puck, was officially hired as PHS' new head coach at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

Of the 18 Bureau County area schools to respond about the IHSA's Proposal 19 calling for football playoffs expansion, eight said they are voting in favor of it, while nine voted against it, with one school voting “no opinion.”

Hall defeated two-time defending champion Fieldcrest 61-52 in OT, while Mendota edged IVC 67-60. They will meet for Saturday's Colmone Classic championship at 7:30 p.m.

Princeton High School girls, Princeton Christian Academy boys win. This and more in Thursday's BCR Roundup

Princeton falls to Eureka 67-57 while St. Bede edges Bureau Valley 59-57 in Colmone Classic crossover games Thursday night at Hall High School

Chips Giovanine's Western Rams won the first three Colmone Classic championships (then known as the Red Devils Invitational) on the way to undefeated runs to the IHSA State Tournament in 1974 and 1975. Here's look at each year’s winners.

Spring Valley jFK defeated Seneca 23-19 to capture the Class 2A Sectional on Wednesday. The Wildcats (20-1) advance to the 2A State quarterfinals on Saturday at Havana High School to face Dieterich (22-2) at 10 a.m.

Casey Etheridge is the latest in a long line of elite running backs from Bureau County, including the likes of the Compton brothers, Ronde Worrels, Todd Maynard, Cory Scott, Jim Dietz, Pete Roth, the Norman brothers, Eric Bryant and Kenny Bourquin.

Here’s a look at Bureau County all-time rushing records as compiled by BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus over the years

While Bureau Valley and Princeton lit up the scoreboard for 169 points in Saturday's double overtime thriller, it fell short of the Colmone Classic record of 176 combined points set by Bureau Valley (92) and Putnam County (84) in 2019.

His gravelly voice could give you a first impression that he might be a little gruff around the edges. But Max Lauritzen was nothing but a big teddy bear with a heart of gold, especially when it came to kids playing Little League Baseball. He was called a champion of kids

The Colmone Classic is the only place for Princeton and Bureau Valley basketball fans have to watch their teams play out their rivalry this year and they sure got their money’s Saturday with the Tigers winning 86-83 in 2 OTs. Other winners were Hall, Fieldcrest and Mendota

The Bureau Valley Storm seventh-grade girls basketball team took two steps closer with one game left to capture a Class 2A state championship. The Storm defeated Riverdale Washington 37-20 in the quarterfinals and edged Greenfield 16-14 in a low-scoring semifinal.

Vivi Verucchi banked in a 3-pointer from half court with 1.8 second left to lift the Spring Valley JFK Wildcats to the Class 2A McNabb Regional championship. St. Bede defeated the Trojans to capture the Tri-County Conference opener on the Academy hardwood Friday night.

The Princeton Logan and Bureau Valley seventh grade girls basketball teams will take a similar trek toward an IESA state championship on Saturday. The Storm play at 1 p.m. at Riverton while the Lions head a little further south to play at 2:30 p.m. at Auburn.

Here's our 2025 All-BCR Football Team, representing players from Bureau Valley, Hall, LaMoille, Princeton and St. Bede.

Princeton Logan captured the Class 3A Morris Saratoga Sectional seventh-grade championship on Wednesday, defeating Lisle 24-12. The Lions (17-3) advance to the IESA Class 3A State quarterfinals to face Hillsboro (23-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Auburn High School.

The Bureau Valley Storm captured the Class 2A Fieldcrest Sectional on Wednesday, defeating Seneca 35-22. The Storm (21-1) advance to the IESA Class 2A State quarterfinals to face Riverdale Washington (19-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Riverton High School.