Semifinals: Simeon 56, West Aurora 40; Warren 52, Oak Park 51

West Aurora scored six consecutive points to get within 12 with 2:47 to play, but Flowers (16 points, six rebounds) drained two free throws to end the threat.
Rose, who was 2 for 9 from the field against Lockport on Friday, didn’t shoot any better on Saturday. He was 4 for 13 from the field and did not make a jump shot.
He finished with 11 points and five assists. Bryant Orange also scored 11 and Kevin Johnson had eight points and 13 rebounds for Simeon.

WARREN 52, OAK PARK 51: Time ran out on a spirited Oak Park comeback. The Huskies closed the game with a 13-4 run and had a chance to take the lead, but a three point shot by Daniel Barnes with 15 seconds to play rimmed out.
Matt Mose led the Blue Devils with 11 points and Logan Derrick added 10 points.
Iman Shumpert scored 17 for Oak Park and Phil Gary added nine points.

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Simeon 67, Lockport 34...

Brandon Hall led the Wolverines (6-0) with 18 points. Tim Flowers scored 16 and grabbed 14 rebounds. Derrick Rose had six points, five rebounds and nine assists.

Bruce Durham scored 11 for Lockport.

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Oak Park 70, Bloomington 68...

Oak Park beat state-ranked Bloomington 70-68 in double overtime Friday in the quarterfinals of the 76th Annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament.

Phil Gary’s jumper in the lane with 47 seconds to play in the second overtime gave Oak Park (12-1) the victory. Bloomington had a chance to win, but Justin Bocot missed a three at the buzzer.

Bocot (22 points, seven rebounds) and Oak Park guard Iman Shumpert (19 points, five rebounds) took turns amazing the crowd, Bocot with dunks and Shumpert with threes, but it was a little play by Gary (22 points) that may have made the biggest difference in the game.

With the score tied and ten seconds left in regulation, Kenny King lightly grazed Gary, who was standing with the ball. Gary fell to the floor, a foul was called, Gary hit two free throws and the Huskies went ahead 58-56, enough to survive to overtime after Cory Hainlen’s putback at the buzzer tied the game.

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Warren 58, Joliet 56...

For the second consecutive day, the Blue Devils found a hero. Thursday it was Logan Derrick draining a game-winning three-pointer with four seconds to play. Friday Shannon Adams rose to the occasion. The 6-3 senior drove the lane, rose and nailed a jumper with three seconds left to give the No. 22 Blue Devils a berth in the semifinals.

A rebound and putback by Jake Saffold with 1:15 to play put Joliet ahead 56-51. But the Steelmen were 0 of 2 from the free throw line in the final minute, opening the door for Adams’ heroics.
Ceola Clark led Warren with 18 points, Derrick finished with 17 and Adams had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

D. J. Dantzler scored 19 for Joliet. Deon Perry scored 10 and Saffold had 10 points and eight rebounds.

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Demetri McCamey and Evan Turner go off again...

Proviso West led by as many as eight points in the third quarter but the Chargers stormed back behind McCamey (24 points) and Turner (26 points).

Justin Hightower led the Panthers with 19 points.

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Simeon beats Jacksonville 80-39...

Rose had nine points and five assists as the top-ranked Wolverines beat Jacksonville 80-39. The outcome of the game wasn’t the show, it was Rose, and he didn’t disappoint, throwing down a pair of dunks, including one with under two minutes to play that inspired Jacksonville coach J.R. Dugan to view the game from a historical perspective.

“Fifteen years from now these kids will be pointing at the television, telling their sons and daughters that they once played against Derrick Rose,� Dugan said.

Brandon Hall led Simeon with 18 points and Tim Flowers and Kevin Johnson each had 16.

Ben Wagner scored 14 points for the Crimsons.

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Jamal Jones led the Pirates with 20, Jacob Pullen scored 16.

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Rose has decided to play in Simeon's first round game against Jacksonville...

According to Simeon coach Robert Smith, the decision was all Derrick's.

"He went and got his ankles taped," Smith said. "If he's ready to play that's good enough for me."

Tip-off is in seven minutes.

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TF North 55, Von Steuben 50...

Marcus Deloney scored 16 and Demond Watt added 14 for the Meteors.

Mike Di Nunno led Von Steuben with 21 points.

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Lockport 57, United 48...

Bruce Durham scored 18 points and Brian Bradley added 16 as Lockport dominated the first half and then held on for dear life in the second.

The Porters led 32-14 at the half. United dominated the third quarter and cut the lead to four points. A basket and free throw by Eric Cogdill brought the Panthers within one, but Lockport responded with a 6-0 run in which Durham scored twice. Durham connected with Bradley for an ally-oop dunk with 1:15 to play that sealed the win.

Kendall Burrage led United with 15 points and Cogdill added 11.

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Blue Devils 54, Peoria Manual 51

Derrick sank a three-point shot from the right corner with four seconds left to play to give the Blue Devils a 54-51 win over Peoria Manual Thursday.

Manual, which trailed by as much as 10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, tied the game on a layup and free throw by Breland McKnight with 5:02 to play.

On the next posession, McKnight nailed a turn-around jumper to give Manual its first lead of the game at 43-41.

Warren responded with three-pointers from Clark and Derrick, but Manual retook the lead with 1:34 to play on another jumper from McKnight. A steal and layup by Clark with 1:19 to play tied the game and set up Derrick’s heroics.

Clark, a Western Illinois recruit, led Warren with 13 points and Derrick finished with 11.

John Sargant led Manual (2-8) with 25 points and McKnight had 13.

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Joliet 62, Schaumburg 52

D. J. Dantzler’s signature shot is a rarity in the high school game these days. Joliet’s six-foot guard has mastered the mid-range jumper. He scored 21 points for the Steelmen, draining six jumpers.

“A lot of people say the mid-range game is lost,� Dantzler said. “Everyone likes to shoot the three. That jumper makes me a better college prospect.�

Joliet (5-4) opened the second quarter with a 19-3 run to lead 31-17. A basket from Grant Monroe cut the lead to 54-40 with 2:53 to play in the game, but the Steelmen shot 6 of 8 from the free throw line to seal the win.

Monroe and Brandon Moneyhun each scored 15 for the Saxons (8-3).

Joliet and Schaumburg played each other at the Hillcrest Shootout on Dec. 16. The Saxons won 56-54, it was the last game for both teams, who played rare back-to-back games.

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Deon Perry and DJ Dantzler each have six points for the Steelmen. Sophomore Blake Mueller leads Schaumburg with six points.

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