Simeon defeated Kenwood 85-70 to advance to Chicago Public League Final Four

By Joseph Phillips, Sportswriter

In spite of a game high 31 points and 13 rebounds by senior forward Darnell King, the Kenwood Broncos boys basketball team fell to the Simeon Wolverines 85-70 in the Chicago Public League City Playoffs Elite Eight on Tuesday night, Feb. 11, at Simeon.

The Broncos would battle the Wolverines over the first three quarters, but were outscored 28-20 to close out the game.

“In the first half we came out a little lackadaisical,” said Justin Bowen, head coach of the Broncos. “I think our timing was off. I thought our alertness was off. And I think its partially due to a ton of distractions.”

Bowen said after falling behind 24-12 in the first quarter, his team responded positively with a 19-13 second quarter run, trimming the Wolverines lead to six at 37-31 at half time.

King scored 10 of his team’s 31 points and senior Roland McCoy added 11 for the Broncos in the half.

Simeon’s Jeremiah Williams also added 10 points in the first half.

In the second half, both teams continued to battle in the third quarter as forward Jeremiah Williams scored nine of his team high 19 points in the second half. Williams’s teammate Ahamed Bynum, who is committed to play for DePaul University in the Fall of 2020, added 11 second half points on a series of clutch plays. Bynum finished with 16 for the game.

At one point during the quarter, the Wolverines led by 19 at 83-64, but the Broncos countered with a 6-2 run to close out the game. The run wasn’t enough as the Broncos fell to 9-15 on the season with the loss.

“It was great to get off to great start, especially at home,” said Robert Smith, head coach of the Simeon Wolverines. “We are starting to turn the corner (as a team) and we are getting better.”

With the victory, the Wolverines will advance to the city Final Four and with the loss, the Broncos will look forward to playing in the IHSA State Playoffs next week. Game time and schedule to be announced.

Kenwood senior guard Roland McCoy finished second in team scoring with 17 points.

Chicago Crusader Players of The Game:

Darnell King, Kenwood, 31 points and 13 rebounds

Jeremiah Williams, Simeon, 19 points

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