File photo by Jann HendryJabari Parker notched 29 points and 13 rebounds Friday night to help Simeon advance past rival Whitney Young in the Illinois Class 4A state tournament.
In a highly anticipated rematch between nationally ranked rivals, No. 11
Simeon (Chicago) ran away from No. 5
Whitney Young (Chicago) 69-51 in an Illinois Class 4A sectional final game Friday night.
Senior phenom
Jabari Parker may have turned in his best performance of the season for the victorious Wolverines (27-3), tallying 29 points and 13 rebounds.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Simeon went on a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter that put things out of reach.
The Wolverines also beat the Dolphins (27-4) in January 44-41. A state playoff do over seemed inevitable and anticipation heightened when Simeon was knocked out of the city tournament in the semifinals by
Morgan Park, who went on to face Whitney Young in the final.
Simeon is marching toward its fourth straight Class 4A state title. The Windy City powerhouse needs three more victories – including a super sectional meeting with
New Trier (Winnetka) on Tuesday – to make it happen.
Other ranked teams in action Friday
* No. 2
Germantown improved to 27-0 and advanced to Wisconsin's Division 1 state title game with an 80-60 win over
Oshkosh North. Future Indiana Hoosier
Luke Fischer piled up 32 points and 16 rebounds in the win.
*
West Linn stunned previously unbeaten No. 3
Lake Oswego 37-36 in Oregon's Class 6A state semifinals. The upset is being discussed as one of the biggest in state postseason history.
* Senior
Martez Walker hit a shot at the buzzer to help No. 8
Pershing (Detroit) beat
Cass Tech (Detroit) in a Michigan Class A district final. The Doughboys improved to 23-0 on the season.
* No. 9
Iowa City West beat
Dubuque to set up a battle of unbeatens Saturday in Iowa's Class 4A state title game. The Trojans – who have won 51 games in a row – will meet 25-0
Bettendorf.
* No. 13
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) dominated
El Camino Real (Woodland Hills) 79-54 in the opening round of California's new open division championship.
* In another game that ended on a buzzer beater, Oregon-bound senior
Jordan Bell hit the game-winner as No. 15
Long Beach Poly got past
St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 61-59. The Jackrabbits will now face aforementioned Mater Dei in a Tuesday showdown.
* No. 18
Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park) led 40-12 at the half and cruised to a 73-36 win over
Derby in the Kansas 6A semifinals.
* No. 21 Morgan Park reached the Illinois 3A super sectionals with a 67-31 win over
Perspectives Charter (Chicago).
* Simeon's potential four-peat is child's play for No. 25
Miller Grove (Lithonia), who won its fifth Georgia state title in a row with a 61-57 championship game victory over
Gainesville. Incredibly, it was a freshman in
Alterique Gilbert leading the Wolverines with 19 points as head coach Sharman White got one for the thumb.
* Tied with Miller Grove for the No. 25 spot last week,
South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie) beat
Steele (Cibolo) 60-43 to advance to Saturday's Texas Class 5A state championship game against
Fort Bend Travis (Richmond).