Simeon Defeats Warren 48-39, Repeats As Class 4A Champion

Nationally ranked Simeon  (30-2) led from wire to wire and defeated Warren 48-39 to repeat as Illinois' Class 4A champion Saturday evening in Peoria. It was the Chicago school's fifth state title overall in boys basketball, fourth in five years.

The defensive struggle saw each team sustain a quarter long scoring drought beginning in the third quarter and ending in the fourth.

Simeon ends the 2010-2011 season ranked number one in Illinois with an outside shot at a top ten national ranking in several polls.

Star sophomore and all-state player Jabari Parker led Simeon with 12 points and five rebounds, though he struggled from the floor. going 5-for-14.

Guard Darien Walker was the only other double-digit scorer for Simeon with 10.

For Warren (31-4), a school about 90 minutes southwest of Madison, Wisc., junior Darius Paul was the only Blue Devils player in double-digits with 10 points. Warren missed 30 of 41 shots, according to the Chicago Tribune.

With a core consisting of sophomores and juniors, Simeon is one of the early favorites for a 2011-12 national title.

A Warren win would have been the first basketball championship, male or female, in school history.