The Ottawa softball team has a solid mix of talent and experience coming off a 20-10 season in which it captured a third consecutive Class 3A regional championship.

The Earlville softball team fell in its season opener at Orangeville on Monday afternoon.

Here are the 2025-26 All-Interstate 8 Conference boys wrestlers, as voted on by I-8 coaches.

Here is the 2025-26 All-Interstate 8 girls wrestling team, as voted on by I-8 coaches.

Ottawa's Juliana Thrush advanced to the state championship match at 235 pounds, the best result for anyone in the Illinois Valley.

La Salle-Peru's boys basketball team won its third regional title in a row with a 57-53 victory over Ottawa on Friday.

Ottawa senior Juliana Thrush won her opening two matches on Friday to advance to the semifinals at the IHSA state girls wrestling tournament in Bloomington. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

L-P wins its third consecutive regional title with a 57-53 victory over Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School.

L-P and Ottawa boys basketball teams met in the Regional title on Friday, Feb. 28, 1986 at La Salle-Peru Township High School. The Cavaliers won 74-66. Including that 1986 contest, the two programs have met 25 times in the postseason. Of those meetings, seven have come in regional finals, five in sectional games and two in sectional championship contests. Friday's matchup will be the 26th postseason meeting between the two squads. Check out photos from the 1986 game found in the La Salle NewsTribune archives and procured by photo editor Scott Anderson.

Woodland, Newark, Seneca and Fieldcrest all earned regional semifinal wins on Wednesday to advance to Friday's championship games. Somonauk, Sandwich and Flanagan-Cornell had their seasons come to a close.

Ottawa scored the night’s initial 13 points and was never truly threatened in a running-clock, 68-36 decision over Streator in the Class 3A La Salle-Peru Regional semifinals late Wednesday evening.

Ottawa defeated Streator 68-36 during the Class 3A Regional semifinal game on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at La Salle-Peru Township High School. The Pirates will play the Cavaliers for the Regional title on Friday at 7p.m.

The Ottawa girls basketball team hung tough early, but eventually fell 70-39 to Class 3A top-ranked Washington in the semifinals of the Galesburg Sectional on Tuesday.

Ottawa's Mark Cooper, the all-time winningest boys basketball coach in program history, announced last week that after 22 years and over 350 wins as head coach that he'll be retiring at the end of this season.

Flanagan-Cornell, Newark, Somonauk, Fieldcrest, Sandwich and Dwight's boys basketball teams all won their IHSA regional quarterfinal matchups Monday to advance. That and more in The Times Monday Roundup.

Marquette freshman Wesley Janick won the Class 1A championship of the 120-pound bracket at the IHSA Individual State Finals on Saturday, while Sandwich junior Cooper Corder also claimed a 1A title at 150 pounds.

In longtime Ottawa head coach Mark Cooper’s final game at Kingman Gym, the Pirates scored a season-high 74 points in a memorable regular season finale win over Rochelle on Friday night.

Both Marquette's Wesley Janick and Sandwich's Cooper Corder earned spots in state championship matches, Ottawa's Wes Weatherford stayed alive for a medal, plus more in The Times Friday Roundup.

Illinois’ 2025-26 boys basketball postseason begins on Monday. Here's a look at what awaits teams from across The Times coverage area.

Marquette’s Wesley Janick and Sandwich’s Cooper Corder reached semifinals at the IHSA Class 1A State Wrestling Tournament on Thursday, while Woodland's Nolan Price fired in 11 3s, program-record 40 points in win over Earlville. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Ottawa girls basketball team held regional top seed Sterling 25 points below its season average, upsetting the Golden Warriors 33-27 for the 3A La Salle-Peru Regional title and a trip to next week’s 3A Galesburg Sectional.

Ottawa defeated Sterling 33-27 to win the Class 3A Regional title on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at La Salle-Peru Township High School. Check out photos from the game by MaKade Rios.

In The Times Wednesday Roundup, Sandwich, Earlville and Serena's boys basketball teams all took late-season losses.

The Woodland boys basketball team captured its 20th win on Tuesday night, which also gave coach Connor Kaminke his 100th career victory. Marquette topped Serena, while the Streator girls hoops squad had its season come to a close. Plus more results from around The Times area.

The Kaneland boys basketball team shot 64% from the field and used a trio of big runs to stay unbeaten and clinch the outright Interstate 8 Conference title with a 70-43 victory over Ottawa at Kingman Gym on Tuesday.

Kaneland defeated Ottawa 70-43 on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Kingman Gymnasium at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by Tom Sistak.

Here are the IHSA boys basketball postseason schedules - regional play-in games through the state finals – for teams across the Illinois Valley, including La Salle-Peru, Ottawa, Princeton, Streator, Marquette, St. Bede, Mendota, Woodland and more.

The Ottawa girls basketball team shook off a slow start to top Plano 43-21 in the semifinals of the Class 3A La Salle-Peru Regional semifinals on Monday night. The Pirates will play Sterling for the championship at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Ottawa defeated Plano 43-21 during the Class 3A semifinal game on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School. The Lady Pirates will play Sterling in the Regional title game on Thursday. Check out photos from the game by Kyle Russell.

Marquette and Dwight's girls basketball teams both pulled off upsets Monday to set up an all-underdog championship game for the Class 1A Amboy Regional title. Plus more girls basketball regionals in The Times Monday Roundup.

Ottawa defeated Streator 64-51 on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 in Kingman Gymnasium at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by Tom Sistak.

A total of 13 Times-area wrestlers earned trips to next weekend's state tournament at sectionals on Saturday, while the girls basketball teams from Marquette, Serena, FCW and Fieldcrest all won regional openers. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Ottawa boys basketball team outscored rival Streator 17-7 in the final eight minutes to earn a 64-51 victory at Kingman Gymnasium on Saturday night.

The Seneca boys basketball team - led by 18 points and 11 rebounds from Zeb Maxwell - rolled to a Tri-County Conference win over Lowpoint-Washburn on Friday. Plus, more results from around in The Times Friday Roundup.

There was an extra energy Thursday at Ottawa’s Kingman Gym for senior night. The Pirates girls basketball team fed off it, and into it, making nine 3-pointers, and giving the larger crowd plenty to cheer about on their way to a 45-29 victory against Rochelle.

The Somonauk/Leland girls basketball team defeated Earlville on Thursday to complete an undefeated Little Ten Conference regular-season championship.

Ottawa's girls basketball team triumphed, but Streator's Ava Gwaltney scored 20 points to surpass 1,000 in her career. Plus wins for Somonauk/Leland's girls and Sandwich's boys in The Times Wednesday Roundup.

Illinois’ 2025-26 girls basketball postseason tips off this Saturday for small schools and next Monday for larger schools. Here's a look at what awaits teams from across The Times coverage area.

Princeton sends four regional boys champions among five qualifiers to the Class 1A Byron Sectional starting Friday. They will be joined by wrestlers from St. Bede and PC-Hall. Two Princeton girls and one from PC-H will compete at DeKalb Sectional.

Leland and Newark's boys basketball teams scored Tuesday night victories. That and more in The Times Tuesday Roundup.

The Fieldcrest boys basketball team used a huge second half to top Woodland, while Warriors senior Nolan Price became the program's all-time leader in made 3-pointers on Monday. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Ottawa found itself in an early hole on the road against upset-minded Bradley-Bourbonnais on Monday, but responded to pick up a 55-44 win and avoid a third straight loss.

Ottawa outlasted Bradley-Bourbonnais for a 55-44 victory during the Boilermakers' final home game of the regular season on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.

Ottawa’s Juliana Thrush, Marquette’s Lily Deibel, and Streator’s Addison Yacko and Lailah Vaughn all won championships on Saturday at the Normal West Girls Wrestling Regional. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Streator girls bowling team advanced to sectionals for the first time since 2018 after a fourth-place finish at the Morton Regional on Friday. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

La Salle-Peru relied on good rebounding and lockdown defense to get out to an early lead and hold it throughout, snapping their three-game losing streak with one of the most complete efforts of their season against Ottawa in a 55-37 road win.

After Sycamore beat Ottawa 51-42 at home on Friday night, the Spartans thought they had won at least a share of the Interstate 8 conference crown. But a Morris win at Kaneland changed the math. The Spartans (19‑9, 8‑1 Interstate 8) had actually clinched the Interstate 8 outright.

L-P defeated Ottawa 55-37 on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Kingman Gymnasium at Ottawa High School.

The La Salle-Peru girls bowling team led from the first game to the last to claim its fourth consecutive regional title. Ottawa also advanced to sectional as a team, while St. Bede had three bowlers advance.

Girls bowling teams from Dixon, L-P, Mendota, Ottawa, Rochelle, Sterling, St. Bede and Hall competed during the IHSA girls bowling Regional meet on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 at the Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru.