NORMAL, Ill. — Public League powerhouse Simeon had to play a far-away quasi-road game Tuesday in the Class 4A Normal Supersectional. But for many basketball fans, questions about basketball geography never led to questions of whether the top-ranked Wolverines were in danger of losing.
Despite being an overwhelming favorite, Simeon fell well short Tuesday at the hands of Normal Community, as the Ironmen advanced to the state semifinals with a 64-50 win at Redbird Arena.
Hometown Normal (32-1) held the Wolverines to jump shots early and beat them with free throws late.
The Ironmen made 26 of 33 foul shots in the fourth quarter as the Wolverines team sent Normal to the line for double-bonus opportunities 14 times in the final four minutes. Normal had zero field-goal tries during that span.
Simeon (28-4) made just 1 of 15 3-pointers and was held to eight offensive rebounds. Normal had 38 defensive rebounds and won the glass battle by 11.
“We didn't follow the game plan,' Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “That's what happens when you don't.
“We looked at that team on film. We could have gotten the ball in the paint whenever we wanted to. But we didn't.”
For Ironmen coach Dave Witzig, the key was handling Simeon's pressure and size. The Wolverines generated seven steals but few run-outs and no dunks.
“They were never able to get fast breaks, do the stuff they do,” Witzig said. “They're an explosive team. We couldn't have drawn it up any better.”
Normal will face Geneva in a state semifinal 8:15 Friday at Carver Arena in Peoria.
“They're very athletic and we knew we had to get a body on them every single possession,” said Normal senior Duane Farrington, who scored 8 of his 10 points from the line.
“We knew what types of D they'd try to hit us with. We just worked all our sets.”
Player of the game: Alex Peacock, Normal, 25 points, 9 rebounds.
Key performers: Normal — Tyler Seibring 17 points, 13 rebounds. Simeon — Evan Gilyard 10 points in 11 minutes; Zach Norvell 11 points.
No comments:
Post a Comment