Sophia Towne scored 17 points and hit four of Nazareth's eight threes, the Roadrunners blew open the game with a 16-0 run and beat Loyola in a matchup of the state's top two teams 55-23 in the Class 4A final for Nazareth's second state championship in the largest-ever 4A margin.

Rashon Burno and is no longer the NIU men's basketball coach. He and the school have parted ways after five years according to a press release from the school.

Byron couldn't overcome a cold shooting day and couldn't recover from slow starts to the second and third quarters, losing to Breese Central 44-28 in the Class 2A state championship game at Illinois State's CEFCU Arena. It's Byron's fifth state trophy.

Here are five storylines to watch during the 2026 softball season across The Herald-News area.

Here's a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for Feb. 23-27, 2026.

The Indian Creek boys basketball team used a late third-quarter surge to take the lead, then survived a potential game-winning 3-pointer by Marquette at the final horn to claim a thrilling 46-44 victory the Class 1A Amboy Sectional championship game Friday.

Crystal Lake South's boys basketball team stayed with undefeated Kaneland all night but fell short 51-41 in the championship game of the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional on Friday.

Hunter Stepanich made a game-winning three-point play with 5.4 seconds remaining to help York secure its first sectional title since 1982 with a 37-36 win over Glenbard East.

St. Francis overcame a halftime deficit to beat Wheaton Academy 69-62 to win the Class 3A Hinsdale Sectional on Friday.

Eastland's defense held tough and made key plays in a 48-41 win over Pecatonica to win the Class 1A Orion Sectional title and get back to the Elite Eight. 'We’re playing some of our best, grittiest basketball at the right time.'

Bishop McNamara pulled off an improbable comeback win in Friday's IHSA Class 2A Seneca Sectional championship against Yorkville Christian, outscoring the Mustangs 37-10 down the stretch to erase a 14-point deficit and win 69-56 in overtime.

Kankakee, which entered the postseason as the top-ranked team in Class 3A, was shocked by Morton in Friday's Class 3A Ottawa Sectional championship.

Jayce Schmitt drilled four first-half 3-pointers, and Johnsburg outdueled Rockford Lutheran on the boards to beat the Crusaders 68-50 and win the IHSA Class 2A Mendota Sectional championship Friday night.

Despite being rattled at times, Benet showed the poise and execution that it needed to at key moments in topping Bolingbrook in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional title game on Friday night.

BYU recruit Stella Sakalas scored 30 points, 19 coming in the first half, and Nazareth pulled away to beat Belleville East 54-36 in Friday's Class 4A state semifinal.

With a pair of 2,000-point scorers in Addison Lucht and Dierks Neukomm, and a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Lauryn Hamrick and Seth Walder, the Cissna Park basketball class of 2026 made their way into school record books.

After leading his alma mater to the Fox Valley Conference championship and 28 wins, Cary-Grove boys basketball coach Adam McCloud has stepped down.

Oregon junior wrestler Nelson Benesh is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week, presented by Loescher Heating and Air Conditioning. He was the Class 1A Oregon Sectional champion at 138 pounds and finished fifth at state.

The IVCC baseball team is looking to take a step forward this season after going 10-37 last spring.

The Seattle Seahawks are on the hook for a $600,000 buyout for Thomas Hammock's contract, according to documents obtained by Shaw Local. Interim coach Rob Harley's contract runs through June 2027 and will earn him $400,000.

Can Prairie Ridge top last season's third-place state finish in Class 3A? Who are the teams to beat in the FVC and KRC? Here are five storylines to watch in McHenry County for the 2026 season, which begins Monday.

Henry-Midland senior won the 60-meter dash, 200 and 400 at the BV Season Starter Meet, plus more results in Thursday's NewsTribune roundup.

Wheaton Warrenville South junior David Showman, who scored 33 points to lead the Tigers to a regional final win over Batavia, is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Yorkville senior Gabe Sanders, who had 18 points and nine rebounds in the Foxes' regional final win over Downers Grove South for the program's first regional title in 21 years, is the Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Led by Nick Stowasser's 24 points, the Crystal Lake South boys basketball team boasted all five starters in double figures and beat Sycamore 92-73 in a semifinal of the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional on Wednesday night.

Jayden Riley hit a tie-breaking jumper with 46 seconds left and four free throws in the final minute to cap a 28-point night, sending Yorkville Christian past Pontiac 50-44 in the Class 2A Seneca Sectional semifinal.

Brady Pettigrew scored a game-high 25 points and Bolingbrook beat Neuqua Valley 68-53 in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional

Wheaton Academy rode its defense early, then the Warriors' offense caught up in posting a 46-40 win over Providence in a Class 3A Hinsdale South Sectional semifinal Wednesday.

Eastland used a strong start, tough defense and an explosive finish to defeat Dakota 49-31 on Wednesday night. The Cougars advanced to face Pecatonica in Friday's Class 1A Orion Sectional final at 7 p.m. for the third straight year.

Hunter Stepanich scored all 11 of his points in the second half, helping York surge ahead of Glenbard North for a 58-44 victory to advance to the sectional finals and break the program record for wins in a season.

Kankakee erased a late 10-point deficit to beat East Peoria 59-53 in Wednesday's IHSA Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinal, advancing to the championship game against Morton on Friday.

Josh Kaunas drilled a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Johnsburg went on a late run to take down Aurora Christian 51-47 during the IHSA Class 2A sectional boys basketball semifinals at Mendota on Wednesday night.

Kankakee's headed to the sectional championship round after defeating East Peoria 59-53 in the IHSA Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinals Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

Crystal Lake South defeats Sycamore in an IHSA Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal boys basketball game on Wednesday, March 4, 2025, at Woodstock North High School.

Lockport missed its first 16 shots and didn't connect on a field goal for nearly 14 minutes, digging a hole it couldn't climb out of in a 59-33 loss to Marist at the Class 4A Joliet West Sectional on Wednesday.

Trent Schafer, 21, of Kasbeer, is charged with one count of arson in connection with the 5-alarm fire that firefighters from nearly a dozen departments fought throughout Friday

St. Francis' boys basketball team entered the postseason with a losing record and a No. 7 seed, but now finds itself in the sectional championship after a Tuesday win over Lemont.

The Marquette boys basketball team used a late first half spurt to grab the lead and held off Hinckley-Big Rock throughout the second half in a 54-51 win in Tuesday's Class 1A Amboy Sectional semifinal.

The La Salle-Peru boys basketball team lost 69-48 to Morton in a Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinal Tuesday.

Jacob Marynowski finished with 28 points, and Norman Loechel had three clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Glenbard East's boys basketball team stave off Wheaton Warrenville South in a 68-61 victory.

Newman battled a physical Pecatonica into overtime on Tuesday night, but the Indians came back to win 70-66 in the Class 1A Orion Sectional semifinals as Zion Braimah scored 34 points. Newman finished with a program-high 33 wins.

Colin Stack had dunks for the first two baskets of Tuesday's game, and it set the tone in No. 1-ranked Benet's dominating 67-30 win over 13th-seeded Yorkville in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional semifinal.

Bishop McNamara's boys basketball team held Wilmington to a season-low 24 points and turned 17 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points in Tuesday's Class 2A Seneca Sectional semifinal win.

An entire lineup of nine standouts return to the diamond from last year's Daily Journal All-Area softball team.

Crystal Lake South will play Sycamore, and Johnsburg will face Aurora Christian in the teams' respective sectional semifinal boys basketball games Wednesday night.

Congratulations to The Times Athlete of the Week, Streator boys basketball's Joe Hoekstra!

Meet this week's Daily Journal Athlete of the Week, Coal City wrestler Aidan Kenney.

Here's a list of Whiteside County property transfers for Feb. 23-27, 2026.

Due to low numbers in its junior and senior classes, the Fieldcrest football program will only field a JV team this coming fall.

Girls basketball players from La Salle-Peru, Hall, Mendota, Princeton, Bureau Valley and Earlville earned all-conference honors.