Smith ends run on top as Simeon survives Benet rally
Chicago (Simeon) head coach Robert Smith announced some time ago that this would be his final season as the leader of the Wolverines. Winning is the primary thing that his program has done in his tenure.On Friday night, Simeon added one more victory to Smith's legacy, a record 11th Pontiac Holiday Tournament title with a 52-49 victory over Benet Academy. The victory gave Smith his 11th PHT championship, which was also the 16th overall in program history.
It was one that was well earned as Benet made a second-half charge. The Redwings more than doubled their first-half tally in the third quarter alone. They matched their third-quarter out in the fourth to make it a one-score final.
The glory of the outcome was Smith leaving a winner in final game coaching at the PHT. The story was in how Gene Heidkamp's Benet Redwings nearly spoiled the event.
Benet was down 29-13 at the half. The Wolverines were rolling, playing so well and at ease that it looked like they would dismantle the third-seed much like they took care of business against St. Charles (North), tourney Pontiac and, to a lesser degree, fourth-seed Chicago (Curie) in reaching the final.
"We played as poorly as you could play, give Simeon all the credit for that," Heidkamp said of the first half. "We couldn't make a shot, we couldn't stop them defensively."
But then things changed during the intermission. Whether it was overconfidence or a more determined approach by Benet (probably some of both), the underdogs fought back.
Nikola Abusara converted a three-point play with 5:15 to go in the third quarter. This started a 16-9 run that closed out the period. Brayden Fagbemi connected on a 3-pointer and added a deuce before Abusara scored twice in a 25-second span that drew the Redwings to within single digits at 38-29 with 2:05 left in the frame.
Jalen Griffith, the spark plug to the Simeon machine, scored in the last five seconds to give the Wolverines a 42-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Guard play has been the catalyst to Simeon's success over the years. Players like Derrick Rose and Kendrick Nunn have provided Wolverine teams with energy that drove them to success. Griffith and backcourt mate Michael Ratliff have ignoted this year's club.
Good size and a deep bench have also been keys to the program's success over the years. Size played a roll in this win, but the depth was lacking as Benet kept closing in. Smith stayed with a core group of six players throughout the second half as the lead continued to dwindle.
One of the players who saw plenty of time in the first half was Wesley Rubin, last year's AC Williamson Award winner. Rubin didn't leave the bench in the second half.
Relying on strong fundamentals and good shooting, Benet kept chipping away at the deficit. Brady Kunka scored with 4:53 left in the game to bring the Redwings to within seven, at 44-37. Heidkamp then used a timeout to keep his troops focued and to give them a quick breather.
Parker Sulavar converted a three-point play after nice save from Benet on a rebound, and Fagbemi drilled a triple after a Simeon turnover to make it 44-42 game. This pushed Smith into using a timeout with 2:13 left in the game.
Jeshon Liggett scored for the Wolverines on their possession comning out of the break. Benet answered before the Wolverines got baskets from Griffith and Sam Lewis, the latter being a dunk, to extend the lead to 50-44.
Fagbemi hit a trey for Benet with 19 seconds left and, after a Redwings timeout, Sam Driscoll got a steal and scored to make it a one-point game with 14 seconds on the clock.
Lewis was fouled on the inbound and drained both free throws for a 52-49 lead. Like a number of shots earlier in the quarter that could have tied the game or created a lead change, Benet had a shot keep the game going. However, Fagbemi's 3-point try was off the mark and Miles Rubin secured the rebound for Simeon as time ran out.
"Our guys kept plugging along, plugging along, they never quit," Heidkamp said. "We got it to one had a shot to put it over the hump, had a shot to tie at the end. Give Simeon a lot of credit, they're the best in the state for a reason."
Simeon scored the game's first five points but Benet responded with five markers to tie the game with 3:16 left in the opening lap. Simeon then reeled off 10 straight to end the quarter, and added two more to start the second frame for a 17-5 lead.
It was Griffith burying a triple for the Wolverines that made it 15-5 as time ran out in the first. Simeon then held a double-digit lead until late in the third quarter.
"I wish we would have played better in the first half but it's a tribute to our guys to keep playing against a team of that caliber and have a chance at the end," Heidkamp said.
Griffith, who named this year's AC Williamson Award winner and first-team all-tournament, paced Simeon (12-0) with 17 points. Lewis added 15 points and Ratliff contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds.
"We thought we had a pretty good team coming in here and this may vaildate that, but we came here to win," Heidkamp noted.
Abusara paced Benet (16-1) with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Fagbemi added 13 points and Kinka collected 9 points and 8 boards.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Robert Smith ends run on top as Simeon survives Benet rally in PHT
