When the buzzer sounded after Morgan Park’s 57-54 win at Simeon, Mustangs coach Nick Irvin raced to his nephew.
Irvin threw his arm around Cam Irvin’s shoulder and shouted some encouraging words.
“You’ve got that Irvin blood,” Nick Irvin remembered saying. “You can’t wait to stick it to Simeon!”
Cam Irvin stuck it to the No. 1 Wolverines by sticking four second-half 3-pointers in the basket Tuesday as No. 5 Morgan Park protected a 34-21 halftime lead that kept shrinking in the face of Simeon’s tremendous defensive pressure.
Talen Horton-Tucker pulled the Wolverines (18-2, 7-2 Red South) within 36-32 with two free throws with 2 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third quarter, but Irvin answered with consecutive 3s that put the Morgan Park (14-3, 8-1) lead back to 10. Simeon countered with a quick 5-0 run, but Irvin’s 3 at the buzzer gave his team a 45-37 advantage going into the fourth.
“My teammates were encouraging me to step up and shoot it with confidence,” Irvin said. “After the game Nick and I were pumping each other up. I think he was a little louder though.”
Freshman Nimari Burnett made a big 3-pointer of his own to put Morgan Park up 50-43, and Irvin’s fourth 3 gave the Mustangs a 53-45 lead with 3:20 to play.
Simeon forced four turnovers in the final four minutes and had the opportunity to tie or take the lead on three late possessions. Evan Gilyard, Kejuan Clements and Kezo Brown couldn’t find the net, though, and baskets by Morgan Park’s Cameron Burrell and Lenell Henry kept the Wolverines at bay.
Gilyard injured his right leg on the final play of the first half and was carried to the locker room. He did not play in the third quarter, when Simeon outscored the Mustangs 16-11, but came back for most of the fourth.
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Morgan Park, which took control of the Red South race with one game to play, outrebounded the Wolverines 38-23, with Henry’s eight leading all players. Simeon lost for the second time in three games after starting 17-0.
“We’re just not a very smart team,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “I said if they beat us on the boards we’re going to lose. And how do you not know who their shooters are? You can’t come out here and think you’re going to win just because your jersey says ‘Simeon’. You have to pay attention to details.”
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