Zack Wheeler was the first big name prospect scouted at Scouting The Sally to change organizations at the trade deadline when he was dealt to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran. In looking through previous reports, a number of other prospects I’ve previously written about may be on the block as well. If you want an in depth look at these players, this is the place to be! Most reports also contain video of the prospect as well.

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Zack Wheeler was the first big name prospect scouted at Scouting The Sally to change organizations at the trade deadline when he was dealt to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran. In looking through previous reports, a number of other prospects I’ve previously written about may be on the block as well. If you want an in depth look at these players, this is the place to be! Most reports also contain video.

Continue reading this post »

Having spent seven years as a teacher working with students from troubled backgrounds, I simply could not ignore the storyline in Saturday's victory by Indianapolis Metro in Indiana's Class 1A championship game.

In viewing the team photo, one can't help but think something is missing. When so many teams have players, coaches, cheerleaders and mascots cluttering the picture, Indianapolis Metro's team photo may be the smallest you will find. Eight players and two coaches - taken on a generic white backdrop. The team does not have a true home court and practices at city parks.

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Four state championships will be decided Saturday in Minneapolis including an undefeated Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa team looking to finish 33-0 on the season after rolling to a 86-69 semifinal victory.

In the semifinal, Kevin Kuefler finished with 25 points to pace B-B-E after averaging nearly 20 points per game on the season. Junior Connor Goodwin also chipped in 19 points and nine boards in the winning effort. This season, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, located about an hour west of St. Cloud, has torn through opponents by an average score of more than 25 points per game.

Located more than two hours southwest of Minneapolis, Springfield (25-3) was led by Alex Fink, whose 21 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists paced the Tigers. In their semifinal matchup Springfield needed free throws to force overtime before nailing an additional 12 shots from the foul stripe in overtime to seal the win.

In class AA, Rochester Lourdes (24-7) needed four overtimes to defeat their semifinal opponent. Alex Kapraun led Rochester-Lourdes with 20 points on 6-17 shooting from the floor. Shane McGrath nearly posted a double-double in the victory with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Their opponent, Perham needed two overtimes of its own to dispatch their semifinal opponent. Perham, located more than an hour southeast of Fargo, North Dakota, was led by Nick Tobkin with 14 points on 4-13 shooting. The only other Perham player in double-digits was Mark Schumacher with 10.

The AAA finals features Columbia Heights (25-6) versus Orono (27-4).

Columbia Heights is making their first finals appearance in more than 80 years behind junior forward Jordan Mills who finished with 31 points in the semifinal on 10-22 shooting from the floor. He also chipped in 10-13 from the foul stripe in the win.

Orono avenged two earlier losses to a conference foe in their semifinal matchup, defeating Waconia 50-48. Jordan Smith paced Orono with 22 points and six rebounds, including four from three point range. The only other Orono player in double figures was Jeremy Borg with 11 points and seven rebounds.

The marquee matchup of the day is in Class AAAA as Hopkins (30-1) looks to win its third consecutive state title against number two seed Eden Prairie (27-4).

In an interesting storyline, Eden Prairie is the only team to have defeated Hopkins this season with a 75-71 victory in early February. Hopkins won by 13 in a second matchup.

In the semifinal, Hopkins was led by Joe Coleman with 29 points and nine rebounds. Coleman is a University of Minnesota recruit. Marvin Singleton also contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win and will be a member of the Northern Iowa Panthers this fall.

Dylan Stewart led Eden Prairie with 24 points and eight rebounds in the semifinal. Connor Nord posted 18 points and nine rebounds in the win as well.

Minnesota at a Glance - All Games ET

Saturday, March 26 @ Target Center, Minneapolis

Class A Finals

12:00 p.m. - Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa vs. Springfield

Class AA Finals

2:00 p.m. - Rochester Lourdes vs. Perham

Class AAA Finals

6:00 p.m. - Columbia Heights vs. Orono

Class AAAA Finals

8:00 p.m. -  Hopkins vs. Eden Prairie

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Saturday in Columbus, the Ohio state basketball finals kick off at 10:30 with the Division II title game featuring St. Vincent-St. Mary of Akron (18-9) versus Thurgood Marshall of Dayton (22-5).

Junior Lorenzo Cugini led St. Vincent-St. Mary in scoring with 14 points, nearly matching his season average of 14.8. Leading scorer Devonte Beard struggled in the semifinal, but led the team in scoring at 17.8 points per game this season. Beard is currently being recruited by Boston College, along with a number of other division one mid-major programs.

Four Thurgood Marshall players registered double-digit scoring totals in the semifinal led by Mark Alstork with 18. The semifinal victory was impressive considering the team played without leading scorer Jordan Watson (18 ppg) who was suspended for the game.

In the Division IV finals, Harvest Preparatory of Canal Winchester (22-5) against Hiland of Berlin (26-1).

In their semifinal matchup, Harvest Preparatory took an eight point lead at the end of one quarter and cruised to victory behind a team leading 14 points by Grant Harris in only 17 minutes of action. Leading scorer Shakir Dunning struggled with 10 points on 5-16 shooting, but leads the team in scoring on the season at 18.2 points per game.

A big contribution off of the bench by Seger Bonifant (23 points in 20 minutes) paced Berlin in its 14 point semifinal victory. Berlin’s leading scorer, junior Dylan Kaufman (14.2 ppg) was held to nine points in the semifinal.

Division III features a David versus Goliath matchup as top ranked Taft of Cincinnati (24-1) squares off against unranked Cleveland Central Catholic (19-8).

Taft is led by two sport star Adolphus Washington whose 22 points in the semifinal on 7-8 shooting paced the Senators. Just a junior, Washington is receiving division one interest in both football and basketball and is considered one of the better defensive end prospects in the country heading into the fall.

For Cleveland Central Catholic, 6-foot-8 senior center Anton Grady continued his impressive senior season by posting 26 points and 22 rebounds in the semifinal. Grady, a Cleveland State recruit, is averaging 21.1 points per game on the season.

The final championship game of the day pits Northland of Columbus (26-1) versus LaSalle of Cincinnati (25-2). The teams are ranked numbers two and three in the state respectively.

Michigan recruit Trey Burke leads Northland at 24.3 points per game including 15 in the semifinal on 4-17 shooting. 6-foot-8 junior Devon Scott posted 17 points on 8-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in the semifinal win to raise his scoring average to 11.5 points per game on the season.

LaSalle features a more balanced scoring attack led by senior Brandon Neal with 14.7 points per game. In the semifinal, Neal paced LaSalle with 23 points on 10-16 shooting.

Ohio at a Glance - All Games ET

Saturday, March 26 @ Value City Arena, Columbus

Division II Finals

10:30 a.m. - St. Vincent-St. Mary of Akron (18-9) vs. Thurgood Marshall of Dayton (22-5)

Division IV Finals

1:30 p.m. - Harvest Preparatory of Canal Winchester (22-5) vs. Hiland of Berlin (26-1)

Division III Finals

4:30 p.m. - Taft of Cincinnati (25-1) vs. Central Catholic of Cleveland (19-8)

Division I Finals

8:30 p.m. - LaSalle of Cincinnati (25-2) vs. Northland of Columbus (26-1)

I still remember Keith Smart's game-winning jumper in the 1987 NCAA title game like it happened yesterday. Growing up a Syracuse fan, that shot was a dagger through the heart as I truly believed there was just no way Billy Owens and Derrick Coleman would be denied a title.

Fast forward to 2011, and Indiana has not won another championship, having appeared in the finals only once since the 1987 title.

Additionally, the program has had five coaches since with the past handful of years being among the most difficult in the program's history due to NCAA violations and poor play.

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In the state of Indiana, one matchup jumps off of the page Saturday in Indianapolis.

In Class 3A, defending champion Washington (23-4), a program that boasts six state championships on its resume, takes on Culver Academies (19-6), a newbie to the state finals.

On the surface, this seems like a storyline that has already played out around the country, but the team's big men make this one special.

For Washington, a school in southwestern Indiana, 6-foot-11 Cody Zeller mans the middle and averages 24.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. The Indiana recruit is both the top scorer and rebounder in the tournament.

However, Zeller will be only the second tallest player on the court Saturday as Culver Academies, a school in northern Indiana, will look to 7-footer and New Mexico recruit Chier Ajou to slow Zeller  in what may be the premier battle of big men this championship season.

In Class 2A, undefeated Hammond Bishop Noll (26-0), a school in the northwest corner of Indiana, looks to complete a perfect season against 2010 runner up Park Tudor of Indianapolis (25-2).

Park Tudor is led by junior Kevin Ferrell, who averages 18.7 points and 6.6 assists. The true point guard has verbally committed to Indiana and is ranked the third best point guard prospect in the country and 23rd best prospect overall per ESPN.

Trevon Bluiett, a 6-foot-5 forward, is the Panthers' most accomplished player inside. He averages  13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Hammond Bishop Noll relies on a more balanced scoring  led by transfer student Adonis Filer, who averages 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Filer was a Chicago Catholic League first-team pick as a member of a 26-5 Mount Carmel team in 2010. While not signed yet, Filer is fielding about a half dozen Division I offers.

All four state championship games will be webcast in live audio and video at www.espn3.com

Indiana at a glance - All Games ET

Saturday, March 26 @ Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Class 1A

10:30 a.m. - Triton (23-3) vs. Indianapolis Metropolitan (21-6)

Class 2A

12:45 p.m. - Hammond Bishop Noll (26-0) vs. Park Tudor (25-2)

Class 3A

6:00 p.m. - Culver Academies (19-6) vs. Washington (23-4)

Class 4A

8:45 p.m. - Kokomo (23-2) vs. Bloomington South (25-2)

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In Pennsylvania's Class AAAA, nationally ranked Chester headlines four boys basketball state championship matchups Friday and Saturday at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Senior guard Maurice Nelson, younger brother of Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson, leads the way for the 30-1 Clippers as they enter the game heavily favored over Mount Lebanon of Pittsburgh (27-3).

Chester is ranked No. 22 by MaxPreps and No. 23 by ESPN Rise.

In beating playoff opponents by an average score of more than 18 points, Chester, a metro Philadelphia school, looks to do what it does best - pressure an opponent into submission.

In a 180-degree contract of styles, Mount Lebanon will do its best Princeton impression and slow down Chester as it has other playoff opponents.

In defeating Penn Wood 52-48 in the semifinals, Mount Lebanon knocked off a team coming off back-to-back finals appearances, including a state championship in 2009.

In Class AAA Friday night action, Neumann-Goretti of Philadelphia (26-4), the only boys team with a chance at repeating, takes on Montour (23-7) , a suburban Pittsburgh school. For Montour, this is  the school’s first-ever trip to a state final.

Neumann-Goretti is led by point guard and MaxPreps top-100 player Lamin Fulton, a St. Peter’s commitment. Similar to Chester, Neumann-Goretti relies on pressure to force turnovers and will look to use a speed advantage.

Montour is led by sophomore two-sport star Devin Wilson, who is already receiving Division I interest from a number of colleges.

Pennsylvania finals at a glance - All Games ET

Friday @ Bryce Jordan Center - Penn State

Class A

3 p.m. - MCS Charter vs. Lincoln Park Charter

Class AAA

8 p.m - Neumann-Goretti vs. Montour

Saturday, March 26 @ Bryce Jordan Center - Penn State

Class AA

2 p.m - Imhotep Charter vs. Greensburg CC

Class AAAA

7 p.m. - Chester vs. Mount Lebanon

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Summer basketball has forever changed the high school basketball landscape. Sentiment is divided as to whether the overall impact has been negative or positive, but few would argue the path to major Division I basketball leads through the summer circuit.

However, one athlete has defied the odds in earning a spot amongst the top 50 players in the country. Otto Porter, the 6-foot-9 forward from Scott County Central in Missouri, has received major college offers from Missouri and Georgetown having played basketball only for his high school.

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Nationally ranked Simeon  (30-2) led from wire to wire and defeated Warren 48-39 to repeat as Illinois' Class 4A champion Saturday evening in Peoria. It was the Chicago school's fifth state title overall in boys basketball, fourth in five years.

The defensive struggle saw each team sustain a quarter long scoring drought beginning in the third quarter and ending in the fourth.

Simeon ends the 2010-2011 season ranked number one in Illinois with an outside shot at a top ten national ranking in several polls.

Star sophomore and all-state player Jabari Parker led Simeon with 12 points and five rebounds, though he struggled from the floor. going 5-for-14.

Guard Darien Walker was the only other double-digit scorer for Simeon with 10.

For Warren (31-4), a school about 90 minutes southwest of Madison, Wisc., junior Darius Paul was the only Blue Devils player in double-digits with 10 points. Warren missed 30 of 41 shots, according to the Chicago Tribune.

With a core consisting of sophomores and juniors, Simeon is one of the early favorites for a 2011-12 national title.

A Warren win would have been the first basketball championship, male or female, in school history.

After four quarters and one overtime, Rock Island and Centralia were deadlocked in their Class 3A championship game Saturday afternoon in Peoria.

Then, it wasn't close.

A 10-0 run by Rock Island (30-3) in the second extra period broke the game open behind seven free throws by Royce Muskeyvalley resulting in a 50-40 final score. Centralia (30-5) was held scoreless in the second overtime.

Leading the scoring for Rock Island was Chasson Randle with 13 points. He also had seven rebounds. Randle averaged 22.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game entering Saturday's action.

Denzel McCauley came up big on the boards with 17 rebounds to go along with his nine points. Romal Davis nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Centralia was led by R.J. Kwiatkowski with 15 points, close to his 16.7 points per game average.

Bryan Betts contributed 13 points and six rebounds in the losing effort.

For Rock Island, a school about 100 miles northwest of Peoria, the championship appearance was the school's first since 1910 and first state title in school history.

Centralia's last trip to state was in 2002. Centralia, a school about 90 minutes east of St. Louis, is one of only two boys high school basketball programs in the United States with over 2,000 wins.

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Earlier this week, Winthrop (19-6) defeated Cohasset (22-3) 58-55 to capture the Division 4 title at TD Boston Garden to begin championship festivities.

Senior center Anthony Hatzisavas led the team with 16 points.

Junior forward Joe D'Amore chipped in 15 points, including 11 in a hotly contested fourth quarter which saw Cohasset charge back from nine down with 2:30 to play.

For Winthrop, a town 20 minutes east of Boston, the championship victory came after three consecutive losses in the north sectional finals.

Cohasset, a coastal town twenty minutes southeast of Boston, was led by sophomore Shane Haggerty with 17 points.

Kyrel Jaundoo and Sam Richardson also registered double-digit point totals in the losing effort.

Three additional state championships will be decided Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

The Division 1 title game features the St. John's Pioneers (21-5) versus the St. John's Prep Eagles (25-1). The Eagles enter the championship game with only one loss and the top ranking in Massachusetts. Their national ranking sits in the 40's.

St. John's Prep is led by senior small forward Pat Connaughton, a Notre Dame recruit and MaxPreps top 100 player.

The New Mission Titans (19-4) will face the Northbridge Rams (18-5) in the Division 2 final.

Northbridge, seeking its first every state title, is led by senior guard Corey Pryor who averages 27 points per game on the season.

New Mission holds a tremendous size advantage entering the game with a starting lineup averaging 6-foot-4.

In Division 3, the Watertown Red Raiders (17-5) are a slight favorite over Whitinsville Christian (19-2).

Watertown is led by senior guard Marco Coppola who has averaged 23.5 points per game in the playoffs and led Eastern Massachusetts in scoring this season.

Whitinsville Christian has relied on their size advantage to disrupt state tournament opponents en route to the title game.

Guard Taylor Bajema enters the final on a hot streak averaging 21.3 points per game in his last three.

Massachusetts at a Glance - All Games ET

Saturday, March 19 @ DCU Center in Worcester

Division 3 Finals

12:30 p.m. - Watertown vs. Whitinsville Christian

Division 2 Finals

4:00 p.m. - New Mission vs. Northbridge

Division 1 Finals

7:30 p.m. - St John's vs. St. John's Prep

In watching Georgia Public Broadcasting's coverage of state high school championship coverage, I remember thinking to myself. "This looks like something I would watch on ESPN."

Unfortunately, potential federal cuts to public broadcasting leave future coverage in doubt.

For many high school athletes, a state championship appearance will be their only chance to play in front of a televised audience providing the opportunity to not only create, but capture those memories for a lifetime and share them with future generations.

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Basketball state championship games in Missouri conclude Saturday with the Class 1, 2 and 3 finals played at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

Scott County Central (28-2) looks to secure its third straight state title behind Otto Porter, whose 34 point effort in the semifinal left him the state’s career leader in final four points.

In addition to his gaudy career point total, Porter also holds the Missouri state championship game record for rebounds with an astonishing total of 35 tallied last season. Even more impressive is the record remained in the family as his father, Otto Porter Sr., was the previous record holder.

Lethal from mid range, Porter is now the 11th-ranked small forward and 42nd-ranked player overall in the ESPNU 100. Even more impressive is he did it without ever playing AAU basketball.

Porter currently holds scholarship offers from Georgetown and Missouri with other major programs interested as well.

Scott County Central has reeled off 24 consecutive wins and has held at least a 30-point lead in each state playoff game.

A win would bring a second state title to Sikeston this season as Sikeston high school capped off an undefeated season with its own state title last weekend.

Dadeville, located about an hour northwest of Springfield, boasts a senior class with final four experience and more than 100 wins as a unit.

At 30-1, Dadeville knocked off previously undefeated La Plata in the semifinals to earn the championship birth.

The team is led by seniors Dakota Webb and Zach Medley who combine for nearly forty points per game. Both are in their third year as starters.

Missouri at a Glance - All Games CST

Saturday, March 19 @ Mizzou Arena and Hearnes Center - Columbia

Class 1 Finals

11:30 a.m. - Scott County Central vs. Dadeville

Class 3 Finals

3:10 p.m - Hogan Prep Academy Charter vs. Strafford

Class 2 Finals

6:50 p.m - Bernie vs. Crane

Of states we've covered here at HS March Madness thus far, Illinois receives my vote for having the most media friendly championship schedule of any state.

In scheduling four championship contests over the two week long event, the state presents writers nationwide an excellent opportunity to thoroughly cover championship games across all four levels.

At no point does it feel like a mad dash to disseminate information and the feeling is quite welcomed.

Additionally, the state provides both web and television feeds, along with post game box scores which seem to be released almost instantaneously.

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Nationally ranked Simeon of Chicago highlights the Class 3A and 4A championship fields Friday and Saturday in Peoria, Ill. Super sophomore Jabari Parker’s all-around game leads Simeon at 16 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists per game.

Simeon is the defending 4A champion and enters the final four as the top team in Illinois with a 27-2 record. Simeon's two losses were to perennial Chicago-area power Whitney Young and Benet Academy, an undefeated and top-ranked team in Illinois prior to being upset in the super sectionals.

In the Class 3A semifinals, one would consider North Chicago a Cinderella story based on record alone. At 17-13, the Warhawks entered playoff action with an under .500 record on the season. However, North Chicago, the top seed in their bracket, has won five consecutive games to reach the first final four in school history.

Simeon is favored, but their semifinal matchup pits them against another top team in the state in Glenbard East who enters the matchup at 25-3 and ranked fourth statewide.

Led by one of the state’s leading scorers, junior point guard Aaron Simpson averaged 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game during the regular season. This total includes games of 44, 39, 38, and 32 points respectively. Even more impressive is that he hasn’t been held to single-digit points since the opening game of the season when he had nine.

Simpson is currently being recruited by a number of D1 basketball programs.

North Chicago is a dangerous team capable of forcing opponents into an up tempo contest which plays to their strength. This season, they have scored 80 or more points on a dozen occasions including three in triple digits leaving them the wild card team of the weekend.

The Illinois state championships will be broadcast live on IHSA.tv and ESPN3.

Illinois At A Glance - All Times CST

Friday, March 18

3A semifinals

12:15 p.m. - Brooks of Chicago vs. Rock Island
2 p.m. - Centralia vs. North Chicago

4A semifinals

6:30 p.m. - Glenbard East vs. Simeon of Chicago
8:15 p.m. - Normal vs. Warren

Saturday, March 19

3A Finals

12:15 p.m - Third-place game
2 p.m. -  Championship

4A Finals

6:30 p.m. - Third-place game
8:15 p.m. - Championship

Growing up in New York City, my childhood was filled with heartbreak as the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, always seemed to have the New York Knicks' number.

Maybe it was a truth I never realized prior to the Patrick Ewing era, but the teaming of Pippen and Jordan, along with a bunch of adequate role players, made the importance of having two stars crystal clear to me when all the Knicks had was streaky-shooting John Starks to compliment their Hall of Famer.

Since then, championships have been won by Shaq and Kobe, Shaq and Dwayne Wade, Kobe and Pau Gasol, etc.

In recent years, the NBA has taken things a step further due to a select few teams acquiring three stars in the hope of securing a championship like the Miami Heat.

In high school basketball, the similarities are there, but the results can be quite different.

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Behind Xavier Talton's 12 point third quarter, the Sterling Tigers (26-2) outscored Windsor 23-11 in the third quarter to pull away in their Class 4A title matchup Saturday night in Boulder.

A close game for more than a half, Sterling took a 20-17 lead into the break.

Talton, a junior, finished with 22 points in the 57-38 win in which Sterling never trailed.

Fellow junior Daniel Karg also chipped in 16 points in the win.

Sterling sits just off of I-76 about two hours northeast of Denver.

Windsor, a school 30 minutes southeast of Fort Collins was led in scoring by junior Aaron Schmidt with 13 and Connor Irvin also contributed 11 points in the losing effort.

Both teams are members of the Tri-Valley league. In the regular season, the teams split with Windsor winning by a single point in early January and Sterling winning by 21 points on Valentine's day.

For Sterling, the win was the school's first state title since 1984. With both Talton and Karg returning, Sterling should be an early favorite to repeat in 2011-2012.

Windsor's last state basketball championship was in 1924.

Senior Joel Haywood poured in 32 points leading Denver Lutheran (23-43) to a thirteen point victory over Lutheran-Parker (22-5) in the Class 2A finals.

Heyward started the game strong posting 17 first half points resulting to a 10 point Dallas Lutheran lead at the half.

Lutheran-Parker was able to cut the lead to 42-39 in the fourth quarter behind 20 points from Jonny Foote, but an 8-0 run by Denver Lutheran put the game out of reach.

For Denver Lutheran, the 61-48 victory ends a title drought which lasted a quarter century.

Ironically, both schools will consolidate after the current school year meaning Denver Lutheran will not have the opportunity to defend its crown next season.

For Lutheran-Parker, the state championship appearance was the school's first in any sport. However, combining the rosters of two championship game participants leaves the consolidated school in great shape to once again challenge for the title.

In the Class 1A title game, Springfield's only lead was 4-2 early in the game. Caliche reeled off 16 consecutive first quarter points and never looked back en route to a 72-47 victory Saturday in Greeley.

Caliche (21-4), a school two hours northeast of Denver, won with a balanced scoring attack led by senior Cody Paxton with 15 points.

Senior Aaron Stieb and sophomore Kyle Gandee each contributed 14 points in the win as well.

For Caliche, the win marks their third consecutive state title and fourth straight finals appearance under head coach Randy Kirkwood.

Matt Self led Springfield (17-7), a school in southeast Colorado, in scoring with 14. However, 10 of those points came in the fourth quarter after the contest was already decided.

Springfield's finals appearance was its first in 19 years. The school last won the state basketball championship in 1947.

Aaric and Aaron Armstead combined for 30 of Hales Franciscan of Chicago's 61 points, leading them to a 61-47 victory over previously unbeaten Murphysboro Saturday evening in Peoria.

Junior swing man Eddie Alcantara also contributed 15 points and nine rebounds on 7-12 shooting for Hales Franciscan.

After being outscored in the first and trailing by as many as five points, Hales Franciscan outscored Murphysboro by six in the second to head into halftime up by five.

Murphysboro kept the game close through three, but Hales Franciscan proved too strong down the stretch opening up a lead in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, Murphysboro never came within eight points of the lead.

Orlando Jarrett led Murphysboro with 16 points in the losing effort.

The only other double-digit scorer for Murphysboro was Pierre House with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Neither school is new to the final four as this was Hales Franciscan's sixth trip to the final four.

For Murphysboro, the final four marked the school's fourth trip to the final four and first in nearly 30 years.

Columbia (30-3) pulled away in the second half en route to a 19 point win over Butler (25-8), who last won the state championship in 1966.

For Columbia, a metro Atlanta school, the 56-37 win was the program's second consecutive title and fourth since the 2006 season under head coach Phillip McCrary.

Butler, located in Augusta, trailed by eight at the half, but was able to muster only 15 second half points as Columbia gradually pulled away.

Tahj Shamsid-Deen led Columbia with 22 points on 9-14 shooting and four assists. 13 of those points came in the first quarter as Columbia led from buzzer-to-buzzer.

Chris Washington scored 14 points to lead Butler. Dan Lambert also chipped in 12 in the losing effort.

After two close regular-season contests versus Buford, Greater Atlanta Christian (28-5) left no doubt in the title game, winning 76-36 Saturday afternoon in Macon behind Virginia recruit Malcolm Brogdon.

Brogdon outscored Buford in the first quarter on his own and finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds to secure a second straight title.

Sophomore A.J. Davis and Trent Boyd contributed to the win with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

For coach Eddie Martin, the win marks his fifth state championship and second with Greater Atlanta Christian.

Alex Flagler was Buford's lone double-digit scorer with 12 points. No other player on Buford's roster managed more than six in the losing effort.

Buford, better known for its eight state titles in football, was attempting to win its first boys basketball championship in school history.

Both teams are Atlanta area schools and play in the same Region 6-AA during the regular season.

Behind a balanced attack of four double-digit scorers, Newark beat Winchester 57-35 Saturday in Peoria and capped off a 33-1 season with the school's first state championship.

Delaware recruit Kyle Anderson chipped in 11 points and nine steals, marking only the eighth time this season Anderson failed to lead the team in scoring. He finished his career as the leading scorer in school history.

John Avery was nearly perfect, going five for six from the field and six for six at the line en route to 17 points and four blocks.

Newark, located a little over an hour west of Chicago, jumped to a 18-9 first-quarter lead and never looked back. A 16-4 third quarter led to 24-point lead and allowed Newark to coast the rest of the way.

The hot start by Newark neutralized Winchester's stifling man-to-man defense and they were unable to recover.

In the losing effort, Winchester was led by forward Wes Buhlig with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

Winchester is also known as West Central Co-Op. The sports programs are a combination of athletes from Winchester and Bluffs, Illinois, small towns about an hour west of Springfield.

Wilkinson County (32-0), Georgia's lone undefeated boys team, capped off a perfect season with a state championship victory over Terrell County (27-4) Saturday afternoonin the Class A final in Macon.

Vashon Jones led Wilkinson County, located in middle Georgia, with 27 points, including 19 in the fourth to stave off a Terrell County comeback.

Terrell County (27-4) was led by Terel Hall who contributed 19 points in the loss.

The win marks the team's fifth state title since 1999 under head coach Aaron Geter and avenges a loss to Terrell County in last year's quarterfinals - Wilkinson County's only loss in two years (56-1 overall).

Terrell County, a South Georgia school, had previously beaten title favorite Whitefield County to ensure Atlanta area schools would not sweep the state championship tournament.

Prior to the loss, Terrell County had won nine consecutive games, falling just short of its first state championship since 1984.