3A and 4A State Semis Notebook

The IHSA 3A and 4A State Semis were on Friday.  Let’s dive into it with 3A and 4A State Semis Notebook!  Don’t have a subscription?  Try it out at a special discounted rate of 30% by using code “Scottburgess30”.

Rubin and Griffith Continue to Show Out as Simeon Advances

The first 3A semi was closer than the score would show as Simeon won over St. Ignatius 60-42.  It was close throughout the first three quarters and then the Wolverines blew it open.  Once again it was Miles Rubin Miles Rubin 6'7" | PF Simeon | 2023 State #243 Nation IL and Jalen Griffith Jalen Griffith 5'10" | PG Simeon | 2023 State IL who shined as both set 3A state records for what they do best.  Loyola signee Miles Rubin Miles Rubin 6'7" | PF Simeon | 2023 State #243 Nation IL was dominant on the interior throwing down dunk after dunk.  So explosive and quick twitched off the floor which also is why he is the state’s best shot blocker.  He had 20 points (10-11 FG), 8 rebounds, and a state record 8 blocks in the win.  Jalen Griffith Jalen Griffith 5'10" | PG Simeon | 2023 State IL was the one setting him up on many of those as he notched 12 points and a state record 12 assists.  He makes everyone around him better and has an innate feel for finding Rubin inside for slams.  Also hit a pair of threes and looked slick off the bounce scoring.  All of the wings did their part.  Toledo commit Sam Lewis Sam Lewis 6'5" | SF Simeon | 2023 State IL had 6 points, Stony Brook signee Kaiden Space Kaiden Space 6'2" | SG Simeon | 2023 State IL notched 8 points, Michael Ratliff Michael Ratliff 6'2" | SG Simeon | 2023 State IL had 5 points, and junior spark plug Rashad McKinnie Rashad McKinnie 6'2" | SG Simeon | 2024 State IL hit a couple big threes for 6 points.  Should be noted that Simeon also set another record by shooting 77% from field in this game.

The story for St. Ignatius was their sophomore star Phoenix Gill Phoenix Gill 6'2" | SG St. Ignatius | 2025 State IL who showed on the big stage why he is a high-major top 5 player in the class.  Silky smooth two guard made it look effortless as he hit jumpers and was weaving through the defense for scores at the rim.  Also was an active defender as he had 21 points.  Quiet game from George Mason commit Richard Barron Richard Barron 6'5" | SF St. Ignatius | 2023 State IL who notched only 5 points in the loss.

Metamora Advances to Second Straight 3A Title Game

This was a true toss up game between two of the best teams in the state..  East St. Louis and Metamora both have star power and tons of veteran role players.  ESL led for most of the game until the 4^th quarter where the experience of being in Champaign a year ago made the difference.  They hit big shots, made free throws, and Metamora took home the win 50-43.  Ethan Kizer Ethan Kizer 6'6" | SF Metamora | 2023 State IL came out strong early on as the Metamora star who is headed to South Alabama drained three first quarter jumpers including a three.  Late in the game he hit the big three pointer to give them the lead and had a key swat finishing with 16 points and 7 rebounds.  Another senior who was stellar for them was Tyson Swanson Tyson Swanson 6'2" | SG Metamora | 2023 State IL .  The veteran came up clutch in the second half doing most of his damage by hitting jumpers, baseline take, and closed it out at the line for 11 points.  Tyler Mason Tyler Mason 6'2" | SG Metamora | 2024 State IL is a junior guard that also had a strong performance as he recorded 11 points in the win.  Got to the rim on several strong drives.

East St. Louis was led by Macaleab Rich Macaleab Rich 6'4" | SF East St. Louis | 2023 State #261 Nation IL .  The Flyers star wing gave it everything he had.  Powerful small forward attacked on straight line takes, spin moves, and sliced his way through the D for dunks.  Also hit a three and showed solid passing feel in a 19 point (9-14 FG) and 7 rebound outing.  Big difference in the game was the number of trips to the line.  East St. Louis was only 5-8 while Metamora was 17-22.

Benet Loses One of Big 3 But Other Two Put On Show Advancing to 4A Final

This season Benet has seen their team revolve around their own version of the Big 3.  Early in their semifinal game against New Trier one of their stars Brady Kunka Brady Kunka 6'3" | SG Benet | 2023 State IL went down with a bad ankle injury.  The other two had his back as did the whole team.  Benet defeated New Trier 64-49 behind their perimeter shooting and offensive rebounding.  Dartmouth commit Nikola Abusara Nikola Abusara 6'5" | SF Benet | 2023 State IL put on a show displaying the versatility and two way ability he has always been known for.  He stuffed the stat sheet for 18 points, 9 rebounds, 8 steals, and 4 dimes.  Did a little bit of everything and whatever his team needed in that moment.  His slashing, passing, and defense were top notch!  Brayden Fagbemi Brayden Fagbemi 5'11" | PG Benet | 2023 State IL ran the show for Benet to perfection.  Played with pace and got everyone involved.  Made floaters and pull ups when they presented themselves as he had 18 points and 5 dimes.  Sam Driscoll stepped in for Kunka to drain three from distance along with the same from Andy Nash as Driscoll finished with 11 points and Nash had 9 points.  Inside Parker Sulaver Parker Sulaver 6'6" | PF Benet Academy | 2024 State IL did a nice job using his physicality on the glass and touch around the hoop for 12 points.

New Trier’s star Jake Fiegen Jake Fiegen 6'3" | SG New Trier | 2023 State IL got his for sure in this one netting 26 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the loss.  The future Cornell two guard used his grit getting in the lane for several scores, crisp baseline Js, and a pair of threes.  Kid is a flat out winner and will be a star in the Ivy League!

Moline Gets Off to Fast Start and Holds On Against Downers Grove North

In the last game of the day Moline spurted out to a lead in the early going behind their star point guard Brock Harding Brock Harding 6'0" | PG Moline | 2023 State #222 Nation IL who dropped 14 of his game high 21 points in the first 4 minutes of the game.  Downers Grove got close, but never quite over the hump as Moline won to move onto the championship by a final of 50-36.  Harding was on fire as he dropped three triples and a mid-range jumper early to get them rolling.  He then closed it out at the line late along with Grant Welch Grant Welch 6'1" | PG Moline | 2023 State IL who hit six free throws to help them get the win.  Along with Harding the other Iowa Hawkeyes commit on this team is Owen Freeman Owen Freeman 6'10" | C Moline | 2023 State #179 Nation IL .  Not a huge scoring game from the big man, but he impacted the game with his rebounding and shot blocking.  Did most of his damage from the foul line as he had 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.  Undersized four man Treyvon Taylor Treyvon Taylor 6'4" | PF Moline | 2025 State IL was a tough presence inside scoring 7 points.

One of the stars of the state tournament has been Downers Grove North 2024 shooting guard Jack Stanton Jack Stanton 6'2" | SG Downers Grove North | 2024 State IL .  Moline focused in on him, but he still managed to score 19 points.  Shot 3-10 from distance along with getting out in transition for a few finishes.  Look out for a big summer from him.  South Carolina baseball commit George Wolkow gave them some nice energy inside finishing dump offs for 6 points.  Senior Max Haack Max Haack 6'0" | PG Downers Grove North | 2023 IL will make for a nice small college shooting specialist as he had 6 points on a couple threes.

State Title Saturday Slate

The lineup for the four state championship games on Saturday are as follows:

1A – 11:00 AM           Gibault Catholic vs Scales Mound
2A – 12:45 PM           Bloomington Central Catholic vs DePaul Prep
3A – 5:30 PM             Simeon vs Metamora
4A – 7:15 PM             Moline vs Benet