(3-9-25) Eastland (32-4) upset #1 ranked Pecatonica (33-3) on Friday night 36-31 to win the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 1A Sectional title.
How did the Cougars pull off what many say was an upset surprise? The strategy they used must have come from watching the 1983 movie WarGames….
WarGames – “The Only Winning Move”
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?
Eastland (32-4) started the game with the first possession after the opening tip Friday night, and then … they stood there, holding the ball near mid court for the first 6:59 of the game. It turned out to be the right strategy.
Rockford Register Star – The Last Stand: How Eastland boys basketball changed tactics and shocked No. 1 Pecatonica
During the regular season the two NUIC teams played each other with the Indians winning 67-36 (12-19-24) and 63-55 (1-18-25).
Eastland coach Tyler Zumdahl told Sports Illustrated after the game-
“We’ve got off to terrible starts the first two times, so we had to do something different. We had to slow the tempo down. We were still willing to score if they were willing to guard. They didn’t want to do that so we kinda rolled with it. And the guys executed. They didn’t get rattled. They stayed the course. And got it done.”
Pecatonica led 1-0 at the end of the first quarter. (scoring 2nd qtr – Eastland 8-5, at halftime Eastland 22-19)
The Cougars defense would hold the highest scoring 1A team in Illinois (74.9 per game) to just 31 points…13 times this year the Indians had scored more than 80 points and three times over 90, including 102-52 over Forreston on February 4th and 113-30 over Durand on January 27th.
Up next for Eastland…Monday night at Northern Illinois in the Super-Sectional when they play Aurora Christian, who beat Hinckley-Big Rock 57-54 in their sectional final.
Shaw Local- Johnson, Aurora Christian storm past Hinckley-Big Rock for sectional title
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
A bold strategy pays off, Eastland knocks off 1A favorite Pecatonica
Eastland gets their revenge on Pecatonica, securing a 1A Sectional Title
Eastland Cougars stun Pecatonica in bizarre Sectional Championship game
Shot Clock In Illinois
IHSA Approves Shot Clock, A New State Final Time Schedule
The good news if you don’t approve of slowing up the game…relief is on the way in Illinois.
A 35-second shot clock will be required for usage in varsity girls and boys basketball games beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson-
“The IHSA has allowed the shot clock to be used in tournaments and shootouts the past two seasons, and the overwhelming feedback we have received from coaches is that it is time to embrace the shot clock in all varsity contests . We believe the two-season lead time will provide our schools with ample opportunity to install the shot clocks and get comfortable with them from both a coaching and game administration perspective.”
Stateline Sports Network 