Simeon shakes off rust in Pontiac opener

Simeon coach Robert Smith knew not to mess around with Pontiac.

“We took this seriously,” Smith said. “We were coming off a loss and a long layoff. And they are always up for this game. I’ve been coming here for years, anything can happen.”

Simeon traveled down to Pontiac on Sunday to get settled in even though they had a 7:30 p.m. start time Monday. Then Smith made a major change, inserting senior Armon Benford into the starting lineup.

“He’s a point guard,” Smith said. “He did a nice job setting us up. Any good team needs a point guard, so I think that was a positive for us.”

As usual, Edward Morrow was the difference. The Nebraska recruit finished with 21 points and eight rebounds as the No. 4 Wolverines took down the host Indians 54-38 in first-round action.

D.J. Williams added 14 points for Simeon (6-1).

“It’s hard to come back and get in rhythm after the 10 days off,” Smith said. “I thought the starting five were great. The second five were the weak spot. They have to be better.”

Neil Lambert led Pontiac with 12 points. Drew Mills and Carter Jacobs each scored eight.

Simeon will face the winner of the Joliet West-Niles West game in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round.