By Michael Wojtychiw

Simeon wins four-overtime thriller, heads to city final

Curie and Simeon have developed quite a rivalry over the years. Playing in the same conference, in the same holiday tournament (Pontiac) and routinely having some of the best teams in the area will do that for ya. 

While it may have been a bit of a shock to see the Condors in Thursday’s first Chicago Public League semifinal, it shouldn’t have been. In the past couple of weeks, the team has knocked off Simeon and handled Young with ease in the city playoffs’ quarterfinal round. 

So to see Curie battling once again with their Red South/Central rivals for a spot in the Red Division Championship Game was bound to provide a good show.

And a good show the people got.

The two entertained the masses to a four-overtime thriller that saw the Wolverines move on courtesy of a 64-60 win Thursday evening at Credit Union 1 Arena on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.

“At this point, after three games and four overtimes, the x’s and o’s are thrown out the window,” Smith said. “They know us, and we know them. So, we couldn’t do anything different.”

The Wolverines did it with something they’ve become more accustomed to doing all season: punishing teams inside the paint. 

On Tuesday, however, it was more of the defensive side than on offense as six different Wolverines combined to block 14 Curie shots, led by Miles Rubin’s six. 

“I always tell the guys that you can’t throw a rock over the Sears Tower,” Curie coach Mike Oliver said, referring to Rubin

“I was getting a good feel for the game as it went on,” Rubin said. “Guarding the rim was a big focus because they like to go to the basket a lot. We tried to stop them.”

After a slow first half that ended with a 22-19 Simeon lead, one in which the Condors shot 25% from the field and committed 10 turnovers, the two teams got off to a hot start in the third quarter combining for seven cinsectuive baskets between the two teams, giving the Wolverines a 31-26 lead.

The two teams would go on to trade baskets for much of the rest of regulation, with Curie finally drawing to a tie with 33 seconds left after Carlos Haris hit a basket and a free throw for a three-point play. A Simeon turnover with 17 seconds left gave Curie a chance to win the game in regulation, but Harris missed a shot right before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

Simeon’s Jalen Griffith and Curie’s Kros Barrett hit three-pointers on their team’s opening possession of the first overtime but neither team could do anything else, with the first overtime ending on a steal by Wesley Rubin.

Curie took its first lead since the first quarter when Shawn Brown hit two free throws nine seconds into the second overtimeGriffith and Barrett would trade baskets, giving Curie a lead with two minutes to go, but Miles Ruvin’s teo free throws with 1:20 remaining tied the ball game and hepked send the game to a second overtime after Christian Brockett’s attempt before the buzzer missed.

Curie once again had a chance to win the game at the end of the third overtime, with game tied at 52, but the Condors couldn’t get a shot off.

“That’s what is so frustrating,” Oliver said. “We didn’t get a good shot off at the end even once.”

Wesley Rubin would give the Wolverines a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with a bucket just under three minutes remaining, making it 56-54 Simeon. Griffith and Wesley Rubin wouldnhit free throws down the stretch before Barrett hit a shot with around 10 seconds remaining to cut it to 62-60.

However, Kaiden Space calmly stepped to the free throw line with 1.9 seconds remaining to ice the game.

Curie now gets ready for the state playoffs, while Simeon will play for a city title looking to avenge an earlier loss to Simeon. 

Griffith led all scorers with 21 points, while Harris, who was held scoreless in the first half, led Curie with 17 points.

Kenwood outlasts Perspectives-Leadership, looks for first city title

Kenwood and Perspectives-Leadership met in the second game of the Red Division semifinals Thursday evening, completing the Red Central/South quartet playing to determine who would play in the city title game Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena.

The two teams faced off just two weeks prior in conference play with the Broncos coming out with a 34-point win Jan. 17, but you wouldn’t have known it with how the Warriors came out Thursday. 

Perspectives, thanks to some hot shooting went back-and-forth with Kenwood, ending with a 15-15 tie after the first period. The two would continue to do so through the second quarter as well, until Calin Robins Jr. gave the Broncos a 25-24 lead with just under two seconds to go before halftime.

“They took over the game in the second half with the size and scoring around the basket,” Warriors coach Mike Smith said. “And then we really couldn’t make the shots that we normally make.

“I don’t want these guys to hang their heads. I want them to be celebrated and learn from what happened today.”

Unfortuntely for Perspectives, Kenwood would pull away for a 56-42 win, sending the Broncos to the city title game against Simeon, where they will aim to win their first city title Saturday at 4 p.m. at Credit Union 1 Arena. 

Kenwood took the lead for good with five minutes left in the third quarter when Robins Jr. pulled down a rebound and put it back, giving his squad the 32-30 lead. The junior forward has picked up his play of late, coming up big in both the quarterfinals and when his needed him in the semifinals.

The Broncos went on an 18-8 run starting with that Robins backet through the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. And they were primarily able to do it through players like Jaden Smith, who like Robins Jr., has really come on as the season has gone along.

Smith finished a perfect 7-of-7 for 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in what he and others felt may have been one of the best games he’s played all year.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of it in practice,” Irvin said. “He’s been working hard. He’s one of the top players in the country at his age. He’s coming.”

“I’ve just been focusing on what I need to do on the court,” Smith said. 

For Dai Dai Ames and his fellow senior Broncos, being able to play for the city title means more to them than some may realize.

“This is huge for us,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been working for, and as a senior, it’d be great to win it and be the first for Kenwood.”

Cobb led Perspectives with 16 points, while Jakeem Cole added 12. The two will look to help Perspectives win the South Shore International Regional and Julian Sectional when the playoffs start for the squad on the 18th. The Warriors are the top seed in the sectional.

“I told everybody Kenwood is on the rise,” Irvin said. “We are one of the best programs in the country and we have something to prove.”