Peoria Quest might close. What does that mean for the basketball program?

GLASFORD — The Peoria Quest boys basketball season ended this week with a postseason loss. That's only half of its emotional roller coaster.

The Gators, who suffered a 65-43 loss to host Illini Bluffs on Wednesday night in a Class 1A regional semifinal, are in a state of limbo right now. On Jan. 22, the Peoria Public Schools board voted 5-1 to deny Quest’s application for renewal, potentially leaving 245 students without a high school for the 2024-25 school year.

“I was kind of shocked,” Quest coach Ron Ingram said of his initial reaction to the decision. “I didn’t believe it, and I still don’t believe it. I’m still hanging in there, maybe hopefully it will stay open.”

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Will Peoria Quest stay open?

Quest’s board of directors, though, has filed an appeal with the Illinois State Board of Education, which has the power to keep the charter academy open for the foreseeable future. If that were to occur, ISBE would be the governing body over Quest, located at the corner of University and McClure. PPS then would have no association with the 14-year-old school. If Quest closes, students will attend Richwoods or can choose to return to their home schools, per PPS. A final decision on Quest's fate is anticipated by May 27.

However, that doesn’t make things any easier for Ingram. Or for the nine varsity players in uniform for their second postseason game in three days.

“It’s been tough for my boys the last couple weeks,” he said, pausing to fight back tears. “… It’s real hard. They heard the news about the school closing down, they’ve been in shock. This is consuming them. It’s like they forget about basketball. … It’s rough for our kids.

“We really haven’t been able to keep the focus on basketball. … It’s been difficult to coach during these times right now.”

'We've been through a lot'

The former Decatur MacArthur head coach took over two years ago, leading the program in its ninth and 10th varsity seasons. Quest finished 9-18 this season after a 10-21 record in 2022-23. Among the highlights this season were a pair of wins over Deer Creek-Mackinaw and a one-point victory against Class 3A East Peoria.

Seven players transferred out of the program following last season, including 6-foot-5 sophomore Davion McClendon to Peoria High. This left Ingram — a 1978 Manual grad — with only two players having previously played high school basketball.

Still, Quest pushed on and grabbed a 75-34 regional quarterfinal win over North Fulton on Monday. That victory put them up against top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Illini Bluffs.

“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Quest junior Lawrence Sims said. “… This team stuck together. … We played through. We played strong. We played hard. … I love this team to death.

“I’m proud of everybody. They put their heart and tears, their sweat, their blood. They put everything out there.”

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The 5-foot-11 guard is unsure of his plans for next year, having attended Quest since he was in fifth grade. He scored three points and grabbed two rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Freshman Amir Muhammed (13 points) and senior Cortez Cagle (12 points) paced Quest in scoring before also fouling out.

Two other Gators also reached their foul limit, plus an injury left Quest playing 5-on-4, then 5-on-3 in the final 1:53 of action. Nevertheless, Quest outscored IB, 14-13, in the fourth quarter, while turning the Tigers over 20 times.

“This game was probably one of my most difficult games to coach in all (my) 30 years," Ingram said, “with the team we’re playing and the type of guys that we have. I knew that it was going to be tough, especially for me.”

Illini Bluffs had a big game

Lehigh signee and 6-foot-9 senior forward Hank Alvey put up a big game for IB, scoring 14 points to go with 15 rebounds and seven blocks. “He’s one of the toughest kids we’ve played all year,” Ingram said, “and he’s good, so everything they said about him is true.”

Toby Cooper (19 points, seven rebounds), Devon White (17 points, six rebounds) and Wyatt Hendell (10 points, 11 rebounds) also had big games for IB, which has won 18 in a row. The Tigers dominated the glass, outrebounding Quest, 42-17.

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Using a 15-point second quarter, Illini Bluffs gave itself some breathing room for a 29-18 halftime advantage.

“I felt like we settled down,” IB coach Clay Vass said of the eight minutes before the break. “We did a better job defensively and a much better job of taking care of the basketball, slowing down, letting the game play out.”

What's next for Quest?

As for Quest, they now play the waiting game. Will this coach and players have a school to attend next season? That seems to be the question everyone keeps asking. If Quest doesn’t open its doors in the fall, Ingram’s next coaching destination has yet to be determined.

“I don’t really have any plans right now, because I really thought this wasn’t going to end," Ingram said. "I actually came here thinking we were going to win this basketball game.”

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: Peoria Quest closing: What does that mean for the basketball team?