The Whitney Young Lady Dolphins 18-5 (7-0) defeated the Simeon Lady Wolverines 76-48 in the first Chicago Public League semifinal at the Credit Union 1 Arena Sunday. 

The Dolphins defense was hounding the Wolverines early on, utilizing a full-court press from the start and forcing 20 turnovers in the opening half. 

Simeon hung with the Dolphins early on, as senior Nakia Bardney opened the scoring, a layup after an inbound set, and continued to dominate the paint for the Wolverines throughout the game. Much of the rest of the quarter was defined by strong defense, with each team generating 3 turnovers in the first moments of the contest. Despite shooting under 11% from the field, Whitney Young led Simeon 10-9 after the first quarter. 

The Dolphins jumped ahead in the second quarter as junior Skylar Jones scored on consecutive possessions to give Whitney Young a 14-9 lead 34 seconds into the period. Jones was aided in the second by teammate Destiny Jackson, each of whom led the way for Whitney Young with 11 first-half points.

Whitney secured an 11-point lead after a Jones jumper to stretch their lead to 11 in the waning moments of the first half. That momentum was halted heading into halftime as Bardney hit a corner three to cut the Wolverines’ deficit to 8 as Whitney Young led 29-21 after two quarters. 

Whitney Young came out of the halftime break on a tear, going on a 13-2 to start the third quarter and eventually outscoring the Wolverines 27-8 in the third to lead 56-29. 

The fourth was much like the previous, with the Dolphins dominating their way to their 76-48 victory. 

Jones said afterwards that it was the second half effort that got them through the game. “It’s all about a mindset and coming out confident,” Jones said. “We didn’t start out well in the first quarter, but in the second half our effort was there and that’s why we won the game.”

Simeon was led by Bardney’s 29 points and 16 rebounds. She was the only Wolverine to score in double-digits. 

Whitney Young’s Jackson led all scorers and nearly collected a quadruple-double with her 31 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 steals. Jones added 30 points and 10 rebounds of her own. Tanila Marshall led the Dolphins with 12 rebounds. 

After the game Jackson was shocked at her performance. “I didn’t even realize I did that until you told me,” she said after the game. “I’m just grateful my teammates were there for me and I was able to find my shots.”

The Kenwood Lady Broncos dominated in the paint en route to a breeze of a 67-26 victory over the Wendell Phillips Lady Wildcats in the second girls’ Chicago Public League semifinal Sunday evening.

The Wildcats jumped ahead in the first quarter 3-2 after junior Vionche Taylor hit a three. That was the last lead Wendell Phillips would have in the game. Behind a relentless effort from their entire team on the offensive glass, Kenwood had a 23-5 lead after 8 minutes with nearly all of the points coming from inside the free-throw line. 

The second was more like the first, with the Lady Broncos getting points from eight different scorers in that period, while generating 45 field goal attempts to the Wildcats 19. Kenwood led 39-12 at halftime, with 32 of those points coming in the paint. 

The domination continued into the second half, with Kenwood’s Brianna McDaniel adding 10 of her 14 in the third quarter to lead the Lady Broncos into the second half. Kenwood kept it consistent in the second half, giving up 7 points in each quarter to secure the 67-26 victory.

“I just told myself I had to let the game come to me, I was kind of rushing it in the beginning,” said McDaniel post-game. “So I just wanted to let the game come to me, [Head Coach Andre Lewis] is always telling me ‘let the game come to me,’ so I just had to listen at that time.”

Kenwood outscored Phillips 52-12 in the paint and doubled up the Lady Wildcats on rebounds 52-26. 

Kenwood sophomore Ariana Williams led all scorers with 15 points to go with 6 rebounds and 2 steals. McDaniel added 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals to her 14, clogging the lane throughout the game for the Lady Broncos.

“I just make sure I always stay engaged and never get caught standing around,” Williams said when describing her performance postgame. “I’m always into the play even when maybe my teammates can’t get it. Just make sure I’ve always got their back.”

Whitney Young and Kenwood Academy will play each on February 12th at 5 p.m. for the girls’ Chicago Public League Championship.