5 Takeaways: Simeon vs Marian Catholic
Simeon and Marian Catholic battled in one of the state’s best sectional semis on Wednesday night at Eisenhower High School. The Wolverines jumped out early behind the play of their standout senior Kejuan Clements. Ahron Ulis and Marian kept chipping…
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Continue ReadingSimeon and Marian Catholic battled in one of the state’s best sectional semis on Wednesday night at Eisenhower High School. The Wolverines jumped out early behind the play of their standout senior Kejuan Clements. Ahron Ulis and Marian kept chipping away at the lead. Marian Catholic took the lead in the fourth, but couldn’t hold on as they missed three free throws down the stretch and Antonio Reeves put the dagger in on a score with one second left to win 48-46. Here are our 5 Takeaways: Simeon vs Marian Catholic!
Simeon Senior Shine
Simeon has two star seniors in Antonio Reeves and Kejuan Clements. They both stepped up in the biggest game of the season. Early on it was Kejuan Clements who was aggressive taking the ball to the cup. Got to the rim at will overpowering his defender on straight line takes. Attacked with force and finished through the bump at the rim. Later on he hit a big three to put Simeon ahead. Finished with 15 points. Reeves had a quiet first half, but when the game was on the line he made a pair of clutch shots. First was a deep three off the catch to swing the momentum back in their favor. With the game on the line Simeon went to their scorer who showed he is more than just a shooter with a big time move off the bounce breaking his man down and scoring in the paint. Reeves had 11 points. Jeremiah Stamps is another important senior. The big man rebounded well all night. Struggled to finish throughout, but got a key bucket in the fourth.
AJ Casey Block Party
We have been raving about the upside of AJ Casey for almost a year. The 2022 center has a chance to be one of the premier prospects in the country. He has size, athleticism, and knows how to play the game. Casey was an outstanding rim protector on Tuesday night. He swatted shot after shot coming from the weak side as Marian Catholic guards tried to get in the lane for scores. Great timing and didn’t foul while going for the block. Offensively he had a put back, finished a dump off pass, and hit a free throw for 5 points and 5 rebounds.
Healthy Ahamad Bynum Changes Game for Simeon
Top 5 2021 shooting guard Ahamad Bynum was hurt for much of the season. When he is healthy he makes such a difference on this Simeon squad. The scoring two guard brings toughness and perimeter bucket getting to the table. Knocked down a couple threes early to get Simeon rolling. Also had the play of the night on a poster dunk. He brings a swagger to this group that he can take over games if the seniors need him too. Went for 11 points.
Ahron Ulis Show
Marian Catholic 2020 point guard Ahron Ulis displayed why he is among the best junior prospects in the state. The top 10 prospect did everything he could for his team in this game especially in the first half. Got in the lane consistently winning off the dribble where he hit pull up jumpers and his go to floater over post players. Burst with the ball in his hands. Also is an outstanding passer that makes solid decisions. He had 15 points.
White and Green Step Up in Second Half for Marian Catholic
Ulis had to do everything in the first half, but he got some help from his running mates in the second half. Unsigned senior power forward Chris White started knocking down shots. He got better looks than he did in the first and they went down. Drilled several mid-range jumpers where he elevated over smaller or slower defenders. Also connected on a sweet pick and pop three. Did a nice job on the glass for 13 points and 8 boards. Junior Jo Green is a wiry combo guard that brings energy to the table. He has athleticism and can shoot it too knocking down several threes for 16 points.