St Vincent St Mary Rolls into Chicago and Get's a win over Nationally ranked Simeon

The St Vincent St Mary Fighting Irish pulled off the seemingly impossible Saturday night at the Chicago Elite Classic. They beat a Simeon team who hadn't lost in the tournament since it's inception seven years ago 61-58. In a tightly played game the lead was never more than six points for either team. Fighting Irish head coach Dru Joyce heaped praise on his team. "I really appreciate the effort...when things really could have went bad for us today, they stuck with it, they never gave up...that's what you want, were excited. Simeon is a great team, and to come in to Chicago and get the win, that's big"

Senior leader Lunden McDay who led the team with 21 pts said that he told the team at halftime to stay positive. Seth Wilson who had 16 pts talked about the big jump shot he hit late in the 4th quarter to put the Irish ahead for good described it as a surreal moment, and that he was just trying to make a play. Simeon endured a rough day at the at the free throw line missing 19. Head coach Robert Smith spoke on the dismal performance

“We couldn’t beat an elementary school today,” Smith said. “You can’t turn the ball over 21 times and miss 19 free throws, and you still have a chance to win. That’s not saying much for the other team, actually.”

Coach Smith however gave the Irish credit where credit is due

“You gotta give them credit though, they stuck with it,” Smith said. “They made the plays when they needed to make them. Their big guys stepped up when they needed to make big baskets.”

Simeon senior stars Kejuan Clements (13 points, 4 rebounds) and Antonio Reeves (15 points, 10 rebounds), along with sophomore Ahamad Bynum (18 points) all played relatively well,

Smith also spoke on the importance of the event to the city of Chicago.

“I thought the games were competitive this year,” Smith said. “Of course I only saw the Whitney Young game and our game, but just from reading and seeing what I saw, I thought Orr did a good job of playing with Sunrise Christian as long as they could play with them, a national program that is probably top 10.”

“This is not just for Whitney Young and Simeon, this is for the city of Chicago,” Smith said. “That’s why we bring these teams in – to elevate our city, because we need something positive going on in our city.”

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