Simeon’s Aneesah Morrow believes Chicago is large enough to have greater than two ladies basketball powerhouses.
Marshall and Young are synonymous with the game within the metropolis, however the Morrow and the Wolverines are prepared to affix the dialog.
“We want to add our name to that list,” Morrow mentioned. “Simeon has never won a state title before, so that is our goal: to win city and state.”
The Wolverines are midway there after rallying from 13 factors down within the first half Sunday to beat Kenwood 69-63 within the Public League title sport at Jones Armory.
Morrow, a junior ahead averaging 24.5 factors a sport, missed her first 4 photographs earlier than discovering a groove. She completed with 21 factors and 12 rebounds. Khaniah Gardner, one other junior ahead, additionally had a double-double with 18 factors and 12 rebounds. Diamond Stokes (15) and Cashay Dixon (12) additionally scored in double figures.
Simeon (28-2) has been slowly constructing its status, incomes its first state trophy (fourth in Class 3A) in 2017 and profitable its first metropolis title two years in the past.
But this can be the staff that cements the Wolverines as an influence within the metropolis and past. They are only a pair of slender losses to Homewood-Flossmoor and Benet away from being unbeaten, and provides each opponent matchup issues with three starters 6-1 or taller: Morrow, Gardner and Stokes.
“That is our strength,” coach Johnny Davenport mentioned, “Teams have a hard time rebounding against us.”
Kenwood (24-6), which misplaced the groups’ first assembly 61-52 final month, rode some sizzling taking pictures to a 26-13 lead early within the second quarter.
The Broncos’ blitz, plus the bells and whistles of the sport’s shoe firm manufacturing, might have thrown the Wolverines off their rhythm early.
“The Kenwood crowd was crazy, our crowd was crazy,” Gardner mentioned, “All the intensity was a lot [to deal with].”
“We had to get our nerves out,” Morrow mentioned. “Once the first quarter was over, we were rolling.”
”The sport began off sluggish, actual sluggish,” Davenport mentioned. “Second half, they got relaxed and started playing the way we’ve been playing all year.”
Grid View
Even down double digits early, the Wolverines didn’t lose their cool.
“We don’t really get a panicked feeling,” Gardner mentioned. “We hype each other up.”
Once Morrow obtained rolling, so was Simeon. She hit eight straight photographs at one level, together with a put-back late within the second quarter that put Simeon forward to remain at 35-33.
“I started off very slow,” Morrow mentioned. “Everybody was like, ‘What’s occurring, what’s occurring?’
“I suppose it was nerves the primary quarter. But I used to be in my zone after that.”
Kenwood was led by a pair of sophomores: Brianna McDaniel with 22 factors and Whitney Dunn with 20.