NORMAL – Salt Fork is going to state, but it still won't be on the map.

If the whereabouts of the Salt Fork community are an unknown outside of central Illinois, then this will help. The boys' basketball team can be found at Peoria's Carver Arena for Friday's 12:15 p.m. Class 1A state semifinal game against Lanark Eastland.

The state's hottest boys' basketball team extended its winning streak to 25 games Tuesday, never trailing in a 59-38 super-sectional triumph against Peoria Heights in a game watched by 1,429 spectators at Illinois State University's Redbird Arena.

"I've never felt like this," said Joel Learnard, who scored a game-high 29 points. "This was such a big win."

The Storm (31-1) scored the first five points. Ryan Anderson's three-pointer started the scoring, and Josh Chandler's rebound basket was one of four successful putbacks by Salt Fork before intermission.

What was equally important to the quick getaway was the play of the ever-hustling Chandler, who twice leaped over press-row tables trying to prevent a ball from going out of bounds.

"I try to go 110 percent all the time," Chandler said, "but I go extra hard on defense."

He not only played shutdown defense on Patriots scoring leader Jeff Todd (a 19.5 scorer), but on two of Peoria Heights' first three possessions, he also stripped the ball from the 5-foot-10 senior.

"Very important," Salt Fork coach Aaron Hird said. "We like to put pressure on people defensively, and that set up that the whole game would be played in our style."

The inspirational play is what Chandler's teammates have come to expect.

"Josh always gives us a huge lift and gets us going," Joe Pratt said.

Against a Salt Fork team that led by 17 points at halftime (29-12) while committing three turnovers, Patriots coach Mike Persich used three of his allotted five timeouts in the opening 11:05. Nothing worked to slow down Salt Fork.

"We played great defense at the beginning," Learnard said. "We got off to the early lead and never looked back."

Learnard made sure the Patriots were no closer at the start of the fourth period than they were at the outset of the third. He made every shot he took in the third quarter, scoring 10 of his points.

Hird said a scouting report is not needed to know what the Storm's intentions are.

"We don't run secret plays," Hird said. "We go get Joel the ball. He's a real star."

Learnard's performance came on a day he was named to The Associated Press' five-player Class 1A all-state second team. He was the only area athlete to be voted onto one of the top two teams in 1A or 2A.

Peoria Heights (21-11) used a 19-9 run to pull within 11 points with less than three minutes to play, 49-38.

"You're always nervous when they start scoring, but we knew the clock was in our hands," said Pratt, who didn't score a point but had a game-high five assists and led the Storm in minutes played (30).

"We did a good job of getting back to our style," added Learnard, who hit 6 of 6 free throws in the final 1:39 to keep his team in command.

Hird blamed himself for the third-quarter lull.

"Maybe that was on me. I was watching the clock, wanting it to run, but you have to keep attacking," he said. "They are a team that can score in a hurry, and I didn't feel any lead was safe."

Chandler scored 11 points and Anderson nine for the Storm. Learnard had his fourth postseason double-double, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.

Conner Plotner put the finishing touches on what was the largest point spread in any super-sectional Tuesday (1A or 2A) by sinking 2 of 2 free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining, creating the final 21-point margin.

Hird lauded the play of Anderson, the game's second-leading rebounder (seven), calling the junior's effort a gutty performance.

"He hurt his (right) wrist against Meridian and I'm not so sure that there might not be a fracture, but right now he's playing through pain and will get it checked out after the season," Hird said.

Friday's state tournament appearance is gratifying, Hird said. He hopes to add one more believer to the large throng that was in attendance at Redbird Arena.

"Our AD (Troy Hinkle) has been a doubter all year," Hird said. "We're hoping to prove our AD wrong. We had a nice crowd and we're hoping they'll make a trip a little further this weekend."

It would be fitting. The program already has traveled further in the postseason than any from Catlin or Jamaica, the Vermilion County high schools that make up the Salt Fork all-sports cooperative.