NORMAL — The Illinois High School Association girls basketball state championships were Saturday inside CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University campus.
Here is a game-by-game look at each championship:
2026 IHSA girls basketball state championship game coverage
Class 1A: Deer Creek-Mackinaw 49, Mt. Pulaski 34
Dee-Mack all-stater Dalia Dejesus scored eight of her team-high 16 points in the third quarter to give the top-ranked Chiefs (34-3) a lasting lead. She added 13 rebounds, five assists and six blocks as Dee-Mack won its program’s first-ever state championship.
An early 12-4 Dee-Mack lead quickly disappeared as Mt. Pulaski used its 1-2-2 zone defense to score 15 of the next 19 points for a 19-16 lead. Dejesus then came alive with four consecutive baskets sandwiched between 3-pointers from Riley Durbin (11 points) and Jaelyn Nunley (11 points).
Sixth-ranked Mt. Pulaski (33-2) got 16 points from all-stater Alyson Murphy, but shot just 24.5 percent (12-for-49) in the game. This was second state runner-up finish for the Hilltoppers, who finished second in the 2013 Class 1A state finals.
Class 2A: Breese Central 44, Byron 28
Third-ranked Breese Central won its program’s second state championship, joining the 2007 Class A squad. The Cougars (31-3) trailed for just 24 seconds after Byron closed the first quarter on a seven-point run.
However, Central outscored Byron 26-10 in the middle quarters and never looked back. Lily Butler (15 points), Lexy Santel (13 points) and Taylor Trame (10 points) were all double-figure scorers for Breese Central.
No. 2 Byron (33-3) was outrebounded, 34-21 got a team-high nine points by Malia Morton and Macy Groharing eight. This is Byron’s fourth state championship game appearance, taking second in 2023 to go with back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.
Class 3A: Washington 60, Chatham Glenwood 45
Avery Tibbs scored 11 fourth-quarter points in a row to help give the No. 1-ranked Panthers (35-2) their first state title in program history. The senior all-stater finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, hitting three 3-pointers and a layup in that fourth-quarter stretch.
Sixth-ranked Glenwood (30-5) has mounted a third-quarter push, putting together an 11-1 spurt to pull within 37-33. But not longer after Glenwood’s stretch, Tibbs stepped up and nearly put the game away.
Becca McDougall added 10 points, five assists and four rebounds for Washington, which forced 13 turnovers — eight coming by way of steal. Dani Guedet scored nine points and Mazzy O’Brien eight for the Panthers.
Class 4A: Nazareth 55, Loyola Academy 23
No. 2 Nazareth (35-3) avenged a 2024 Class 4A state title game loss to upset top-ranked Loyola (34-3). This is Nazareth’s fourth state championship game appearance and second title (2023 Class 3A) in the last five seasons.
Sophia Towne scored a game-high 17 points and handed out five assists to pace Nazareth. Mia Gage added 11 points, while Samantha Austin almost posted a double-double with seven points and 10 rebounds. Loyola was led by 13 points from Emily Naraky, who also grabbed eight rebounds.
This was also the largest margin of victory in the history of Class 4A state title games.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 2026 IHSA girls basketball state recap: Illinois crowns four champions
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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