Evanston didn’t need any late-game heroics from senior Blake Peters to knock off Simeon in the Chipotle Clash of Champions semifinals on Saturday in Niles.
The Wildkits took control early in the fourth quarter and held off the No. 2 Wolverines the rest of the way and won 56-47. No. 11 Evanston will face DePaul Prep in the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m.
“That’s a well-coached team, they play hard,” Wildkits coach Mike Ellis said. “They play hard and they have a ton of Division I pieces. It really took multiple efforts from all our guys throughout that 32 minutes to come out on top.”
Prince Adams, a promising 6-5 sophomore, seems to improve every game. He scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Wolverines.
“Our seniors are really special,” Ellis said. “But I loved how the underclassmen, Prince and [junior Rashawn Bost] came on and didn’t back down from challenges. It shows a sign of growth from those underclassmen in this abbreviate season.”
Bost scored seven points and Peters added 10 points and five rebounds. Daeshawn Hemphill scored 12 and grabbed five boards.
“Our guards help me a lot, that’s the most important thing,” Adams said. “When they are attacking it opens up everything for me.”
Simeon (6-1) led by two at halftime and after three quarters. The Wildkits opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and then Wolverines star Isaiah Barnes, a Michigan recruit, injured his knee on a fastbreak.
Simeon coach Robert Smith was irate that no foul was called. Evanston (17-2) went on a 6-1 burst after the injury delay.
“We talked in the timeout that the moment for Simeon could be either an inspiration or a deflation,” Ellis said. “And we really wanted to come out of that situation and control our destiny.”
DePaul recruit Ahamad Bynum led the Wolverines with 13 points and four rebounds and junior Jaylen Drane added 11 points. Barnes scored five and grabbed five rebounds and junior Aviyon Morris added seven points and five boards.
Public League teams are still allowed to play next week, so the Wolverines have a handful of games left. Smith said he expects Barnes to be ok.
