Boys Basketball: Bloom Throws a Scare into Top-Ranked Simeon in 4A Semifinals

For a little bit more than one quarter, upstart Bloom Township had top-ranked Simeon on the ropes.

The Blazing Trojans jumped to leads of 13-9 and 15-9 in a semifinal game in the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament on Friday night at Carver Arena in Peoria.

Then, Simeon fought back to gain a 45-35 victory that was the result of 50-percent shooting in the second half and a balanced scoring attack. The Wolverines (32-1) were led by Jaylon Tate's 11 points and Jabari Parker's 10 points.

Simeon moves on to face Proviso East at 8:15 p.m. Saturday in the 4A title game. Proviso East defeated Rockford Auburn 55-45 behind a 14-point, six-rebound effort by Paris Burns.

Bloom Township (28-4) had a 13-game win streak snapped despite the play of Lejavius Johnson and Dejahown Freeman. Johnson scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He went 2-for-2 from 3-point distance. Freeman added nine points and four rebounds.

The Blazing Trojans will look to bounce back vs. Rockford Auburn (31-3) at 6:15 p.m. Saturday in the 4A third-place game.

Freeman's layup with 15 seconds left in the first quarter pushed Bloom to a 13-9 lead. He was fouled on the play by Tate but missed the free throw and a chance to extend the Blazing Trojans' margin.

Johnson hit a jumper to open the second quarter and Bloom led 15-9. Simeon countered with a 15-3 scoring run to turn the tide. The Wolverines led 24-18 at halftime and extended their margin to as much as 10 points (45-35) on Parker's free throw with 10 seconds remaining.

Simeon made 5-of-10 shots in the second half of a game that was dominated by defense on both ends. Bloom was limited to 7-of-20 shooting over the final two quarters and went 15-for-39 overall (38.5 percent).

Blazing Trojan senior point guard Donald Moore was held in check. He finished with five points on 2-for-12 shooting. He also had three assists and two rebounds. Bloom was outrebounded 31-22 and outscored in second-chance points 10-7.

Simeon is bidding to become the first Illinois team to win three straight state championships since Peoria Manual last turned the trick. The Rams won four straight Class AA championships from 1994-97. Bloom made it first appearance in the IHSA state tournament since finishing 19-14 and reaching the Class AA finals in 2000.