In game one of the Chicago Public League semifinals, the No.7 Hyde Park Thunderbirds defeated the Foreman Hornets 64-44 to advance to the 2009 Chicago Public League City Championship.
In game one of the Chicago Public League semifinals, the No.7 Hyde Park Thunderbirds defeated the Foreman Hornets 64-44 to advance to the 2009 Chicago Public League City Championship.
After a seesaw battle in the first quarter, the Thunderbirds would stifle the Hornets in the second quarter with their man-to-man full court press, forcing Foreman into six consecutive turnovers that led to a 13-2 run that stretched an 18-14 Hyde Park lead to 35-21 at the half.
“Their guards couldn’t go left,” said Hyde Park point guard Fabyon Harris about the team’s full court pressure on Foreman’s top player, Lavonte Dority. “So coach told us the best thing to do was to press their best ball handler.”
Dority, who finished with 13 points, could not advance the ball past half-court on several occasions after his teammates weren’t able to give him help due to the Thunderbirds’ pressure.
“I thought my guys could’ve been a little bit more aggressive,” said Foreman coach Terrance Head.
“Hyde Park’s good aggressive play and inside presence really did us in.”
The rout continued in the second half, led by Harris, along with his teammate’s Martel Jackson, Malcolm Griffin, and 6-foot-5 forward Jerome Moore. Moore finished with a near triple-double at 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks.
“We played well together tonight,” Harris said. “Hopefully we can pull off the victory on Sunday.” The Thunderbirds had five players in double figures: Martel Jackson led all scores with 15 points; Harris, 13 points, six assists and six steals. Griffin scored 13 points with six assists, and Anthony Dixon contributed with 11 points. %u2028
For Hyde Park, this marks the first time since 1956 that the team has made it to the city championship.
Game 2 of the semifinals featured a re-match between the second-ranked Whitney Young Dolphins versus the No. 5 North Lawndale Prep Phoenix.
The Phoenix entered the game with revenge on their minds after suffering a 75-71 overtime loss to Young back on Jan. 16, aiding the Dolphins to their second Public Red West regular-season title in three years.
“We learned from our past mistake of allowing this team to go where they want to go on the court and do what they want to do,” said North Lawndale guard John Taylor. “Last game, I had no energy and I didn’t play hard at all.”
Taylor’s performance was a big difference from a month ago, as he would display one of his best all-around games in his high school career, scorching Young for 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field.
“When I’m hot like that, nobody can stop me,” Taylor said.
Eleven of his points would come in the fourth quarter as he went into his bag of tricks to pull off an astonishing spin dribble jumpshot.
“It was time for me to step up,” said Taylor, whose clutch basket with 1 minute 58 seconds left ended an 8-0 run by Young (19-9). “How do I know when? I just look up at the scoreboard.”
The win marked the first ever Chicago Public League title appearance in school history for North Lawndale. The Thunderbirds will play No. 5 North Lawndale (23-5) in Sunday’s championship game at UIC Pavilion. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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