Simeon finally able to bounce Batavia
BATAVIA -- It lived up to the hype.
Top-ranked Simeon survived Batavia's upset bid Saturday, holding on for a 68-65 win in double overtime when Ricky Clopton's desperation 3-pointer came up short at the buzzer in the frantic finale of a Night of Hoops tripleheader.
The hosts had the 20-2 Wolverines on the ropes, leading the two-time defending state champs by four points late in regulation but missed free throws took the teeth out of the Bulldogs' bite.
Batavia missed all five free throws in the second quarter and finished 11 of 20 from the line for the game.
"The good thing is we got to the line against a pretty good defensive team. That's a positive," said Batavia coach Jim Roberts. "The negative is that we missed more than we normally make. Hopefully, next time, we'll hit more."
Illinois-State bound senior guard Kenyoun Smith scored only two points for Simeon, but they provided the final margin when he made two free throws with 5.6 seconds left in the second overtime.
They helped him go from goat to hero in six shorts seconds. He had missed two free throws with 11 seconds but stole the ball from David Bryant who pulled down the rebound.
At the end of regulation and the first overtime, Batavia made defensive stands to keep the game going.
Nick Fruendt tied it at 56-all with two free throws with 1:22 left in regulation but Simeon held onto the ball until Lazeric Jones tried an 18-footer that missed. The ball was in Jones hands again at the end of the first OT with the score tied at 60.
He drove the lane and missed and 6-foot-9 Stan Simpson's putback also missed before time ran out.
"We watched them (in a one-point loss) against Marshall and we thought it was going to be a good game," said Simeon coach Robert Smith. "That's a good team."
Simpson led Simeon with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Brandon Orange added 11.
"Film doesn't do them justice, quite honestly," said Roberts. "When I saw them play in person, the amount of pressure that they can put on in the zone was immense. ... and if the pressure breaks down, there's the big kid in the back ready to go to work, blocking shots."
Fruendt finished with a game-high 29 points but was just 5 of 11 from the line, including the front ends of two one-and-ones.
Phil Albrecht added 15, Bryant 10 and Jordan Smith, who pulled down 10 boards, scored nine.
"I thought as the game progressed our ball movement got better and our player movement got better," said Roberts, whose team fell to 16-4.
Batavia Night Of Hoops: Simeon 68, Batavia 65 (2 OT)
