IHSA State Tournaments run in Eastland's Krogman family

Yahoo

12-03-2025

LANARK, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF ) — Not many high school basketball players make it to the state tournament. It's even more rare for a brother and a sister to both make it with their respective high school teams, but one sibling duo at Eastland High School now has achieved that dream.When the Eastland boys basketball team was winning at the Class 1A NIU Super-Sectional Monday night and clinching a trip to state, Parker Krogman was leading the way for the Cougars with 16 points. In the stands cheering him on was his older sister Karlie Krogman.Karlie played for the Eastland girls' basketball teams that went to state in 2019 and in 2020. The girls finished second the first year. They won the state championship the second year. That's Karlie receiving her medal.She says it was easier on her nerves when she played than it is now watching her brother play.'It's definitely nerve-racking now. I only want the best for him and as much success as he possibly can have.So did big sister have a little advice for younger brother going into the super-sectional game?'He is better at the game of basketball then I ever was and ever will be, so there's no advice that I can give him that he doesn't' already know.'Parker remembers going to his big sisters' games at State.'Just when you walk in that gym it's just kind of like, 'Wow! It's a huge gym. It's not anything a high school basketball player would really experience unless you go to the state finals, so I think it's awesome.'Karlie Krogman says she could tell when Parker was young that he would excel in basketball.'Yeah, when we would go to his bedroom every night, and we'd play a game of Nerf Pig on the back of his door on his bedroom. Then he was so much better then either my sister or I was, so, we knew from a very young age that he was going to showcase his talents in a very, very big way.'This week Parker will showcase those talents in front of the entire state at State Farm Center in Champaign, and he'll hopefully comeback with the big trophy like his sister did. 'It's an experience that you can only wish for,' said Karlie, 'so being actually able to experience it is a once in a lifetime experience. Getting to go down there and have your whole community show up for you. The Lanark community is really supportive of all of their athletes at all times. Win or lose, he has the support of thousands and thousands of people behind him.Eastland will play Peoria Christian Thursday at 11:15 a.m. in the Class 1A state semifinal game.NOTE: Parker and Karlie's older sister Katie also went to state twice with Eastland in volleyball in 2015 and 2016. Those teams won state in 2016 and finished second the next year.
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