Illinois Powerhouse: Nationally Ranked Simeon Of Chicago Wins Fourth Title In Five Years

Nationally ranked Simeon (30-2) led from wire to wire and defeated Warren 48-39 to repeat as Illinois’ Class 4A champion Saturday evening in Peoria. It was the Chicago school’s fifth state title overall in boys basketball, fourth in five years.

The defensive struggle saw each team sustain a quarter long scoring drought beginning in the third quarter and ending in the fourth.

After four quarters and one overtime, Rock Island and Centralia were deadlocked in their Class 3A championship game Saturday afternoon in Peoria.

Then, it wasn’t close.

Aaric and Aaron Armstead combined for 30 of Hales Franciscan of Chicago’s 61 points, leading them to a 61-47 victory over previously unbeaten Murphysboro Saturday evening in Peoria.

Junior swing man Eddie Alcantara also contributed 15 points and nine rebounds on 7-12 shooting for Hales Franciscan.

Behind a balanced attack of four double-digit scorers, Newark beat Winchester 57-35 Saturday in Peoria and capped off a 33-1 season with the school’s first state championship.

Delaware recruit Kyle Anderson chipped in 11 points and nine steals, marking only the eighth time this season Anderson failed to lead the team in scoring. He finished his career as the leading scorer in school history.

With both Murphysboro and Rockford sporting unblemished records heading into Friday’s Class 2A Illinois boys basketball semifinals, a battle of undefeated teams for the state championship appears on tap for Saturday in Peoria.

Not so fast, however. Despite a lesser overall record, Hales Franciscan of Chicago is favored to take the title this weekend entering the tournament as the seventh-ranked team in Illinois and on the periphery of the top-100 nationally, per MaxPreps.

Led by Division I bound brothers Aaron Armstead (Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit) and Aaric Armstead (a junior fielding D1 offers), Hales-Franciscan has four losses to team’s in the Chicagoland top 20.

In the final four of 1A, Illinois’ smallest class, Newark, making its first final four appearance, is favored behind Delaware recruit Kyle Anderson, who led the team with 17 points in the Dekalb Super-Sectional Game.

Bolingbrook has one player who has signed with Tennesseee, another who has committed to UConn. A third is going to Illinois, and her team won its state final 72-42 essentially without her Saturday.

That’s how good Illinois’ best girls basketball team was this season. Bolingbrook got 36 points from 6-foot-2 junior forward Morgan Tuck in the Class 4A championship game against Zion-Benton at Illinois State University.

With a senior class like this one and a state title to defend, Montini Catholic’s girls team had only one result that would’ve been satisfying: Win another championship.

Whitney Holloway, who has committed to Notre Dame, scored 19 points Saturday for Montini, which took a 31-15 halftime lead and defeated Hillcrest of Country Club Hills 67-45 in Illinois’ Class 3A championship game in Normal.

Notre Dame of Quincy defeated Central Catholic of Bloomington 75-64 on Saturday in the Illinois Class 2A girls championship game, ending Central’s 42-game winning streak and avenging a loss to Central in the 2010 state final.

Notre Dame (31-1) trailed 35-31 at halftime but outscored Central Catholic 44-29 in the second half in the game played at Illinois State University. It was Central’s third loss in 95 games.

West Central of Westchester won its first state title in any sport Saturday with a 29-26 victory over River Ridge in the girls Class 1A girls basketball final at Illinois State University.

River Ridge was withink 24-23 with 1:24, but West Central’s Tiffany King - a 6-foot-1 center who has signed with McKendree University - scored the final five points for West Central (32-3).