Five players from the Heart of Illinois have landed spots in Thursday’s Country Financial three-point showdown at the IHSA boys basketball state finals at Carver Arena in Peoria. In Class 2A, participants include Mitch McNutt from GCMS, Colin McCubbins from Heyworth and Dylan Smith from El Paso-Gridley. In 1A, Ridgeview’s Matt Nunamaker and Lexington’s Tyler Grimsley will compete among 30 others.

Hoops in the Heartland tips off tonight in the Quad Cities. Opening round games tonight at the Taxslayer Center in Moline are Valparaiso against Loyola and Bradley versus Evansville. The Redbids play Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

Illinois State has placed three Redbirds on the Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball squads, including a first-teamer. Coaches and media representatives voted Hannah Green to the Valley’s first team, while Simone Goods received honorable mention. Paige Saylor was named to the All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams.

One day after the NBA warned the Chicago Bulls about benching some key players for the purpose of tanking to secure a better draft choice, the Bulls beat Memphis 119-110.

Saunemin Grade School will hosting its annual Spring Break Basketball Camp on March 24-25, at the school gymnasium, for campers in 5-8 grades.  On Saturday, March 24, camp will run from 12-1:30 p.m., with the focus of the day on shooting.  On Sunday, the camp focus will be on ball handling, and will run from 1-2:30 p.m.  The cost of the camp is $25.