Simeon overcomes St. Charles North
PONTIAC - The St. Charles North boys basketball team had state legend Simeon on the ropes for virtually the entirely of the fifth-place semifinal game Saturday at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
But it was not to be for the North Stars in their quest for a signature win against the Public League dynasty at the most prestigious holiday tournament of them all.
Simeon scored more points in the fourth quarter than it had for the first three quarters in overcoming two massive deficits to defeat the North Stars 53-50.
St. Charles North squandered two 18-point third-quarter leads in falling to 10-3 on the season.
"We knew exactly what Simeon would do once we developed a lead," St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. "They would try to speed us up and get us to take quick shots. We accommodated them."
The first two-plus quarters could not have unfolded more propitiously for the North Stars.
Colin Nelson twice hit back-to-back 3-pointers in scoring all 12 of his points in the first quarter.
Fellow guard Luke Scheffers was the epitome of a floor general, not only beating his defenders off the dribble for 10 points but also handing out 4 assists and swiping three errant Simeon passes.
"I am just making sure I can get my teammates open," Scheffers said. "I think we got a little excited that we got such a big lead."
Bradley-bound post Connor Linke, for the second straight game at Pontiac, was a force in the defensive paint.
Linke, also for a second consecutive start, erased six would-be Simeon field goals with his uncanny shot-blocking ability.
The 6-foot-9 center also grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds.
Christian Czerniak and Linke gave the North Stars respective leads of 35-17 and 37-19 in the third quarter.
Simeon (6-5) was still trailing 39-26 entering the decisive fourth quarter.
There was certainly an ill-omen as the fourth quarter progressed: St. Charles North struggled mightily at the free-throw line.
The North Stars finished the game with 12 misses in 26 attempts.
"Those (missed) free throws were definitely a killer," Linke said.
Simeon star forward Ahamad Bynum, who has committed to DePaul as a junior, spearheaded the Wolverines' comeback with his game-high 15 points.
The game took an unmistakable turn when Linke was cited for an illegal screen and personal foul on what appeared to be a seventh block only moments apart.
"Phantom calls," Poulin fumed.
But Linke had to retire to the pines with 4:53 to play after scoring 12 points to match Nelson for team honors.
With both teams in the double bonus for virtually the entire fourth quarter, Simeon made the North Stars cringe at their misses at the free-throw line.
Bynum gave Simeon the lead for good with a score in transition with 68 seconds to play.
"When we know it's crunch time, we need to get the ball in his hands," Simeon coach Rob Smith said of Bynum.
St. Charles North had its potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer fall well short.
"We still made more mistakes than just missed free throws down the stretch," Poulin said.