Your #HSNCT team! After a bye and two wins in the playoffs, Ithaca finishes 8-5 overall, tied for 33rd place. This was an OUTSTANDING performance and a HUGE improvement over our 94 rank coming in. Thanks to @naqt for a great tournament! @IthacaNYSchools @Ithaca_HS #twithaca

Congratulations to our graduating seniors: Julian, Owen, Simon (pictured) and Winter. Good luck at Cornell, NYU, and Vassar!

Congratulations to Barrington (IL), the champions of the 2023 HSNCT! Buffalo Grove (IL) finished second. Detroit Country Day (MI) and Hunter (NY) placed third and fourth. Full team and individual stats are here: https://t.co/z7K0wCeZC6 #hsnct

I never cease to be impressed with just how *kind* #quizbowl players are with each other. Matches always end with calls of "Good game" and rivals during matches are friends between rounds. As Hunter waits for their match to start, they sit on the floor with Ithaca, chatting away.

Ithaca's time at #HSNCT is at an end, losing in the fourth round of playoffs (after a bye in the first).

We've advanced far enough that finishers are guaranteed a trophy!

Ithaca wins again! We now hold the 35 card and are on our way to play West Windsor Plainsboro, who we've played against twice this year (and lost both times). Third time's the charm! #HSNCT

Check out the play-by-play for our next match against Maggie Walker School A from Richmond. We beat their B team yesterday. Hoping for a repeat performance!

The game was tied in the very last tossup, and Ithaca gets it to win the game 300-270!

We are just about to start our first playoff match. Our opponent has very similar stats as us. It's going to be a close match.

We have a bye in the first round of playoffs. In the second, we'll be playing against Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy from Aurora, IL. This was the only team that Ithaca beat in 2022 playoffs. Hoping for a repeat performance (minus the "only") this year!

[Obligatory team-with-buzzers photo]

Another tough game results in Ithaca's fourth loss. We end the preliminary matches with a 6-4 record. We're in the playoffs, but at a disadvantage: one loss and we're out. To beat last year's result, they'll need to win at least their first two games #hsnct

We knew it would be a tough game, and it was. Ithaca loses 150-325. Our record is 6-3. If we can win our last match, we go to double-elimination playoffs. The match will be against Thomas Jefferson B from Alexandria, VA. Fingers crossed!

Our next match will feature Ithaca (from New York, not the one from Michigan) against Troy (from Michigan, not the one from New York). Troy is ranked #26, and at HSNCT is averaging ~50 points more per game than Ithaca, with a near-identical points per bonus. Should be a good game

Ithaca wins!! It was a close game but Winston Churchill just couldn't quite keep up as Ithaca sees their best bonus conversion of the tournament so far, finishing 310-185. With a 6-2 record, Ithaca has clinched a spot in the playoffs!! #HSNCT

We'll stay in International 10 for round 16, as Ithaca (NY) return to the liveblog to face off against Winston Churchill A (MD).

Our first game today is against Winston Churchill A from Potomac, MD. They are #56 on NAQT Groger Rankings, compared to Ithaca's (under-rated) #87. We hold the 50 card, they hold the 51. This will be a close match, and an important one to try and win! #HSNCT

Good morning! If you're interested in following the team's progress today, watch this space or follow here:

Check out this fantastic play-by-play for our fifth preliminary match of the day! Thanks to Joel for the excellent commentary!