Simeon smashes Peoria Manual in Pontiac showdown of Illinois high school basketball royalty

PONTIAC—Simeon and Peoria Manual have a combined 12 state titles and 26 Pontiac Holiday Tournament champions. Both had legendary stretches of four consecutive state titles, the only teams to pull off that feat.

The Rams and Wolverines are Illinois high school basketball royalty, so the matchup in the Pontiac quarterfinals on Friday brought out a big crowd and garnered some extra media attention.

“Two of the most storied programs in the state,” Simeon coach Tim Flowers said. “We both have younger coaches and are trying to rebuild and restructure our programs.”

The Wolverines were ready for the big stage and produced their best game of the season, beating Manual 68-52.

Simeon (7-3) led 23-12 after one quarter and was never challenged.

“It’s the same message that [former Simeon coaches Bob] Hambric and [Robert Smith] had,” Flowers said. “Defense will always give you a chance to win and defense travels.” I’m happy to see it is starting to come together.”

Peoria Manual guard Dietrich Richardson, who scored 39 in the tournament opener against Plainfield North on Thursday, scored 18 points. He’s a Bradley recruit that is generally considered the top senior in the state.

Simeon senior Julien Doyle is having a breakout season one year behind schedule. Flowers expected Doyle to be a major factor last season, but he was limited to just a handful of games the end of the season due to an injury. He’s been one of the Wolverines’ most consistent players this season and had 16 points and five rebounds against Manual (8-4).

“I’m just doing what I can to help us win,” Doyle said. “I’m trying to be a leader and help the team believe we can win every game.”

Simeon was 13-for-23 from three-point range. Isiah Coleman had 13 points and seven rebounds and Kamari Hamlin added 10 points for the Wolverines.

“What I love about [Doyle] is he’s working his butt off,” Flowers said. “He’s staying late, coming early, getting extra shots up and taking care of his body. He really wants this.”

Senior Lorenzo Shields was the catalyst for Simeon with nine points, nine rebounds and11 assists.

“They got hot from outside,” Peoria Manual coach Marvin Jordan said. “I knew they were capable of that but we didn’t see that on film. They have fiery guys that go out and play with passion. You just hope that game doesn’t happen to you.”

Simeon will face Benet, a winner against Bloom, in the semifinals on Saturday.