CARBONDALE (WCIA) — Tuscola is headed to the state tournament. The Warriors are making school history, never having been in the Final Four.

Now, the Warriors are excited to also get to play so close to home at the State Farm Center. For them, it’s a dream come true to get to play in their backyard. Head coach Justin Bozarth hopes even the middle schools and more can bus to the game Thursday.

“I mean it’s huge,” Tuscola guard Josiah Hortin said. “That arena’s great, nice, best players in the world play there so it’s going to be great to be there.”

“We’re no different than so many other kids in the state, but our location to the State Farm Center, we’re 20-25 minutes away and our kids grow up watching Illini games, our kids grow up in driveways pretending that their Illini basketball players and I did it when I was a kid, these guys do it too, and now they’re going to have the opportunity to get up to Champaign and make some memories,” Tuscola head coach Justin Bozarth said.

Tuscola plays at 11:45 a.m. Thursday for the semifinals against Scales Mound.