The 31-plus minutes of really high-level action surpassed the considerable hype.
The frenetic final sequence was more of a comedy of errors, but it only added to the entertainment value of Chicago’s best rivalry.
Senior Ben Coupet shined en route to a career-high 24 points, and No. 3 Simeon missed three easy layups but survived a Charlie Moore drive in the final seconds to defeat No. 1 Morgan Park 74-72 in a wild Public League semifinal Friday at Quest Multisport.
The Wolverines (22-3) claimed the season series 2-1 and advanced to face No. 5 Kenwood in the championship game Sunday. First, they’ll play No. 6 Evanston in the City-Suburban Showdown on Saturday.
“By being the Morgan-Simeon rivalry, it’s always big, but it was a semifinal game for us and we just wanted to come out and execute our game plan,” said Simeon senior Zack Norvell, who scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
“Ben was amazing. I’ve been playing with him since sixth grade and I knew he could do it. Now by him showing you guys, it will be a big confidence booster for him and should help us down the road.”
The teams traded blows all night, and neither led by more than six at any point. A stepback 3 by the Gonzaga-bound Norvell gave Simeon a 73-70 lead with 1 minute, 47 seconds left, then the Memphis-bound Moore cut it to 73-72.
Josh Thomas, who scored nine of his 15 in the fourth quarter, split free throws with 23 seconds left to account for the final score.
But first Simeon blew three easy chances to put it away, then Moore (26 points, four 3-pointers) had a chance to pull up for a game-winning 3 but opted to attack instead.
“After he made all those other ones, I was shocked he took it to the basket,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “But I’m glad he did.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Ben Coupet, Simeon, 24 points, 7 rebounds.
Key performers: Morgan Park — Charlie Moore, 26 points, 5 assists, 4 3-pointers; Jarrin Randall, 9 points, 3 3-pointers. Simeon — Zack Norvell, 16 points, 6 rebounds; Josh Thomas, 15 points, 6 rebounds.
