Feb. 14--For a Public League quarterfinal between two of the city's top programs, Saturday's crowd at Simeon was relatively subdued for most of the Wolverines' game against Young.
In the final two minutes, Josh Thomas and Talen Horton-Tucker changed that.
Thomas slammed down two dunks from Horton-Tucker passes, the final one an alley-oop with 1 minute, 40 seconds left that brought the fans to their feet. The emphatic throwdown was the final basket in No. 3 Simeon's 71-45 win against the No. 14 Dolphins. Simeon will play No. 1 Morgan Park in Friday's semifinals at Quest Multisport.
"I like to bring energy to the team and to the crowd," Thomas said. "When the crowd gets going, we all get going."
"When Josh gets those dunks, we get hyped," added senior classmate Zack Norvell. "He can pump everybody up."
Thomas and Norvell reversed roles for most of the game. Thomas, the Wolverine who shines in the aspects of the game not shown in the box score, scored a game-high 21 points on 9-for-9 field-goal shooting and going 3-for-3 on free throws.
"I've always known that I was capable of scoring, ever since elementary school," Thomas said. "I do what I need to do, whether it's defense, rebounding or scoring."
Norvell, a flashy scorer and ballhandler, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out five assists to go with his 16 points.
"I just want to be aggressive in each part of the game," said Norvell, a Gonzaga recruit. "Defense, blocking out, getting the board, pushing the ball upcourt -- the whole thing."
Thomas was not the only Wolverine with the hot hand. Simeon (21-3) shot 30-for-47, compared with 19-for-56 for Young. Thomas and his teammates were able to get the ball close to the basket for high-percentage shots, while the Dolphins (17-8) struggled to get good looks against Simeon's 2-3 zone and shot 4-for-22 on 3-pointers.
The score was tied 15-15 with 2:39 left in the first quarter, then Young scored two points during the next six minutes. By that time, it was 30-17, and the Dolphins never got within closer than 11 points for the rest of the game.
"We just played like we know how," Norvell said. "Sharing the ball, playing good defense and using our basketball IQ."
wlarkin@tribpub.com
Player of the game: Josh Thomas, Simeon, 21 points, 7 rebounds, 9-9 FG.
Key performers: Simeon -- Zack Norvell, Simeon, 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists; Kejuan Clements, 10 points. Young -- Lucas Williamson, 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7-8 FG.
