After 31-plus minutes of high-level action that surpassed the considerable hype, Ben Coupet was too much for Morgan Park.
And although the frenetic final sequence was more of a comedy of errors, it only added to the entertainment value of Chicago’s best rivalry.
Coupet, a senior erupted for a career-high 24 points Friday night for Simeon, which missed three easy layups and survived Charlie Moore’s drive in the final seconds to defeat Morgan Park 74-72 in a wild Public League semifinal at Quest Multisport.
The Wolverines (22-3) claimed the season series two games to one and advanced to face Kenwood in Sunday’s championship game. Simeon plays Evanston in the City-Suburban Showdown on Saturday night.
“By being Morgan-Simeon rivalry, it’s always big, but it was a semifinal game for us and we just wanted to come out and execute our game plan,” said Zack Norvell, a senior who scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for Simeon.
“Ben was amazing. I’ve been playing with him since sixth grade and I knew he could do it. Now by him showing you guys, it will be a big confidence booster for him and should help us down the road.”
The teams traded leads all night, and neither moved ahead by more than six at any point. A step-back 3-pointer by the Gonzaga-bound Norvell gave Simeon a 73-70 lead with 1:47 left, then the Memphis-bound Moore cut it to 73-72.
Josh Thomas, who scored nine of his 15 in the fourth, split free throws with 23 seconds left to account for the final score.
But first Simeon blew three easy chances to put it away. Moore (26 points, 5 assists, four 3-pointers) also had a chance to pull up for a game-winning 3-pointer, but opted to attack instead.
“After he made all those other ones I was shocked he took it to the basket,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said of Moore. “But I’m glad he did.”
Coupet also had seven rebounds for Simeon, while Thomas had 15 points and six rebounds and Norvell added six rebounds. For Morgan Park, Jarrin Randall added nine points on three 3-pointers.
Mike Helfgot is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
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