A basketball camp/fundraiser at Wheaton Academy will take place for players in grades 1-10 on June 21 at Wheaton Academy High School.

Times will be 3 to 4:30 p.m. for first through fifth graders, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for sixth through eighth graders and 6:30 to 9 p.m. for ninth and 10th graders. Cost is $35 for first through fifth graders, $40 for sixth through eighth graders and $40 for ninth and 10th graders.

All proceeds from the one-day mini-camp will be donated to the J. Kyle Braid Leadership Foundation, a not-for-profit organization formed to train young adults with leadership potential. This year's JKB recipients from Wheaton Academy are Josh Ruggles, Reid Culberson, Molly Thorson and Annika Pearson.

Coaches scheduled to attend the camp are all-time Wheaton Academy leading scorer Tim Rusthoven, now a college player at William & Mary, former Wheaton Academy boys basketball coach and current Wheaton College assistant Paul Ferguson, new Wheaton Academy coach Pete Froedden, Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas and Glenbard North assistant coach Erin Dwyer.

Mail checks to Wheaton Academy, c/of Mercury Mechanical, 152 N. Railroad Ave., Northlake, IL, 60164.

Recently graduated Wheaton Academy senior Brandon Ruggles is a past attendee at a JKB Leadership Foundation event in Colorado, and said his life was "completely changed" by the week. In an email, Brandon Ruggles wrote,  "I need this camp to be a success, because if it is, we will be able to fund a life-changing experience for four outstanding student-athletes who represent the future of a school that supplied me with two of the best years of my life."

For more information, contact Brandon Ruggles at b.ruggles07@gmail.com or 630-981-7244.

The St. Charles East softball team goes from underdog Friday to favorite to win Saturday's IHSA Class 4A state championship game.

The Saints (33-5) will face Minooka (22-8) at about 5:30 p.m. today at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria in hopes of winning their first state championship. 

Minooka's postseason run included a wild, 15-14 win against Lockport in a sectional semifinal. 

The Indians advanced to the championship game thanks largely to a go-ahead, three run home run from Jordyn Larsen in Friday's 6-3, semifinal win against York. Minooka used two pitches in the York win, starter Jackie Lilek and reliever Sara Novak.

“It wasn’t part of the game plan, but with Jackie struggling the move was made,” Minooka coach Mark Brown told the Morris Daily Herald. “After (Novak) warmed up in the second inning, she came in with that look in her eye and said she was ready. I didn’t even hesitate.”

East coach Kelly Horan said she didn't think the Saints would have any trouble refocusing after an emotional, come-from-behind win Friday against Barrington. Olivia Lorenzini's walk-off, two-out, two-strike, two-run double gave the Saints the 3-2 victory.

Tonight marks the second time in three years a St. Charles team has played in the 4A state championship game. St. Charles North was nipped by Moline, 9-8, in the 2011 title game.

JOLIET – The 3A baseball state championship game is set, with first-time state tourney qualifier St. Francis set to face traditional power Joliet Catholic at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Silver Cross Field.

The Spartans certainly aren't shuddering away from the challenge now.

"I think we're happy to be there, but I think we're hungry to get it," third baseman Tim Zettinger said. "We're ready for another game."

St. Francis has heard whispers about its underdog status throughout the postseason. It hasn't fazed the team, which squeezed out three successive one-run victories from the regional final through the sectional final.

"We've got a lot of confidence in ourselves, a lot of confidence in our team. We're a tight-knit group of guys," Spartans catcher Brett Jungles said. "I mean, we hang out almost every weekend together. We knew what we wanted to do and had one mindset coming into the playoffs, and that was to keep winning one game, one inning at a time, and just keep pushing forward."

St. Charles East knows it faces a tough task in 35-1 Barrington in Friday's 4A state semifinal at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.

The Fillies' lone defeat was a 3-2 loss to Marengo in the opener of a doubleheader.

Just under a month later, Burlington Central lost to Barrington by the same score in seven innings to close the regular season. BC had East on its schedule for a game over spring break, but that contest was canceled due to weather.

"We'll see how Friday plays out. Sometimes it's matchups," Central coach Wade Maisto said. "I'll be curious to see how that goes."

ST. CHARLES – Building a wrestling program is made easier when the coach is in the building on a daily basis.

At long last, St. Charles North fits the bill.

On Wednesday, North announced Ben Hummel as its new wrestling coach, pending school board approval. Hummel, 31, will serve as the school's dean of students by day, providing for regular contact with athletes, a luxury not enjoyed by predecessors.

"That's just a big part of being part of the culture and recruiting kids and just building a solid foundation," Hummel said. "I think that's a real key just from the get-go."

Hummel spent the past seven years as a social studies teacher and assistant coach at Neuqua Valley. He wrestled in the middle of the lineup during his prep career at Castro Valley (Calif.) High and at Northwestern College, an NAIA school in Orange City, Iowa.

"I'm a big fan of just aggressive, offensive wrestling and try to teach the kids to score from every position and keep going to the very end," Hummel said.