Whitney Young's Starks beats buzzer, Waukegan

PEORIA - Senior guard Ahmad Starks nailed a 15-foot shot from the left wing with less than a second left to lift Whitney Young over Waukegan 60-58 in Friday night's second Class 4A semifinal game at the Peoria Civic Center.

Whitney Young will defend its 2009 crown today against Simeon, a 48-42 winner over O'Fallon in the earlier semifinal game. The championship is scheduled to tip off at 8:15 p.m. (Channel 50).

The Dolphins (23-6) were led by forward Anthony Johnson, who scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Starks added 15, while guard J.R. Reynolds chipped in 11.

Forward Quan Connor led Waukegan (26-5) with 14 points and 7 rebounds. First-team AP all-state star Jereme Richmond was held to 12 points, all of them in the second half.

Simeon 48, O'Fallon 42: Brandon Spearman's 19 points pushed Simeon to a 48-42 semifinal win over O'Fallon.

The unranked Wolverines (24-9) played smothering defense all night, holding O'Fallon (31-2) scoreless for the final 5:30 of the first half.

Junior guard Roosevelt Jones, who averages 19.3 points per game and 12 rebounds, led O'Fallon with 22 points and 19 rebounds - both game highs.

Simeon is making its fourth tournament appearance in six years. Spearman, a senior guard/forward who is headed to Dayton, hit a pair of huge 3-point shots in the fourth quarter to help the Wolverines finally pull away.