Game 38: Whitney Young vs. Springfield Southeast (Boy's Basketball)

Game 38
Whitney Young vs. Springfield Southeast (Boy's Basketball)
Athleticare/1450 Shootout (Springfield)
12/4/10

What a game I was expecting in this one, and it surely did not disappoint. I didn't know much, or anything, about the Spartans, but Whitney Young is a team that is ballyhooed in basketball circles, not just in Illinois, but at a national level with the amount of prospects on the Dolphins team.

Whitney Young college prospects
Sam Thompson (6'7" Sr.): Signed with Ohio State

Thomas Hamilton Jr. (6'10" So.): Son of former NBA player Thomas Hamilton Sr. Early interest from Illinois and Michigan State.

Jahlil Okafor (6'9" Fr.): Cousin of NBA's Emeka Okafor. Ranked 7th nationally in freshman class by ESPNU. Very early interest from Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Georgetown, DePaul.

Paul White (6'7" Fr.): Ranked 8th nationally in freshman class by ESPNU.

Honestly, I was expecting for Whitney Young to cruise in this game, winning by 10-20 points. Boy, was I wrong. The hot shooting Herman Senor helped the hometown Southeast Spartans stay close, nailing three, three-pointers in the first quarter. The game was tied, 15-15, after one quarter.

Senor added another three-pointer in the 2nd quarter, and teammate Jacobby Anderson hit a pair of three's to give the Spartans a 29-28 lead at halftime. Whitney Young freshman Paul White hit his first field goal, and scored his first points of his varsity career in the 2nd quarter. This was the 2nd game played by the Dolphins.

The Dolphins, clad in bright orange jerseys and shorts with blue trim, took a one-point lead in the third quarter, behind three field goals by both Sam Thompson and Thomas Hamilton Jr. Thompson finished with 19 points, and had a couple thunderous dunks. Hamilton scored 14 points.

It was the outside game that ignited the Spartans in the 4th quarter, as Senor hit one, Anderson hit two, and Tives Gardner hit a three-pointer. It was Wendall Lytle's big shot with 3.3 seconds remaining in the game that set the final score, with the Southeast Spartans pulling off the big upset, 62-60 over Whitney Young. After crossing halfcourt on the in-bounds pass, the Dolphins called a timeout with 2.6 seconds left. A Thomas Hamilton Jr. three-pointer missed, and the Spartans knocked off the state AND nationally ranked Whitney Young Dolphins.

Whitney Young is ranked #2 in the Class 4A pre-season IHSSN Coaches polls. The Dolphins are ranked #11 nationally by Maxpreps.

Herman Senor was named the game's MVP, he finished with 25 points, and hit seven three-pointers. The Spartans finished with 12 three-pointers in the game.