Marshall takes Hare-raiser

PEORIA -- As the final seconds ticked off the Carver Arena clock, Ryan Hare flung the ball as high as he could.

When it came down, there was no disputing what he and his Marshall boys basketball teammates had accomplished.

The shadow of fellow Public League power Simeon was no longer visible.

Hare had a 6-point personal possession in the second quarter to snap the final tie in the Class 3A state finals against two-time defending Class AA champion Simeon.

The Commandos were threatened late, but their mission was accomplished with a 69-61 victory over the Wolverines Saturday afternoon in Peoria.

"That was a big momentum swing there," Hare said of the 3-point play, technical foul and inside score sequence that gave Marshall a 29-23 lead. "The difference in the game was that we played as a team."

With its third career state title in boys basketball -- and the first since 1962 -- the famed West Side program accomplished several other distinctions.

The Commandos (31-4) avenged back-to-back semifinal losses to the Wolverines (29-4) in the final two years of the Class AA system. In capturing the first-ever state title between Chicago Public League schools, Marshall joined Teutopolis (1986) in winning both a girls and boys state championship in the same season.

The game was tight early, but when Simeon star center Stanley Simpson, Illinois' top recruit who led both teams with 28 points and 9 rebounds, went to the bench early in the second with his second foul Marshall seized control.

The absence of Simpson coincided with a 12-4 Marshall run to close out the second that provided the Commandos with a 33-25 lead at halftime.

"It hurt us a lot (with Simpson) on the bench," Simeon coach Rob Smith said.

"(Simeon) didn't have anyone to block up the middle," Marshall coach Courtney Hargrays added.

Simpson returned with a powerful third quarter, single handedly keeping Simeon competitive with 12 of his game-high total in the frame.

Simeon would probe and dent, but Marshall never lost its composure.

The Commandos countered with balance and contributions from throughout their deep lineup.

Hare led the way with 19 points, but fellow starters Darius Smith, Ardarrius Simmons and Eriq Harris were all in double figures as well.

"The silent assassin," junior standout Smith, who finished with 17 points, said of Simmons, the Commandos' point guard. "He's our floor general. Everything we do goes around him."

Hare gave Marshall its largest lead at 52-43 with a 3-point play three minutes into the fourth, but Simeon once again responded.

The Wolverines reduced the game to a one-possession Marshall lead three times down the stretch, but Marshall was lethal at the free-throw line, exploiting the double bonus to end the Simeon state-title streak at two.

Simeon was attempting to join Peoria Manual and East St. Louis Lincoln as the only programs to win three consecutive state titles.

"We're still champions, no matter what," Simeon coach Smith said.

• In the third-place game, Verdell Jones scored 24 points to lead four Champaign Central players in double figures in its 70-65 victory over Washington.

Keith Biggers added 19 for the Maroons (25-8), who withstood a late Washington rally keyed by Dyricus Simms-Edwards' game-high 25 points. Indiana recruit Matt Roth added 17 points for the Panthers (26-5).