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Young moves on...

PEORIA - Tonight's game has everything a basketball fan could ask for… a high-profile national team as in Whitney Young who has the son of the best player ever, Michael Jordan; the consensus number 1 team for most of the regular season in Thornton.

So based on that, after you remove your school colors and paraphernalia, there is no clear favorite. Young has the most Division I level talent, but just recently started to jell as a team. Thornton has looked the best all season long, turning away challenge after challenge on the way to 29 consecutive wins. As you can see, both teams have serious star power. Young’s Chris Colvin is just nasty with the ball, no one can keep him from getting to the rim. Thornton’s Reggie Smith is a human highlight reel, draining game-winning jumpers and throwing down eye-popping dunks.

But on this night it was advice that helped the Dolphins win the class 4A semifinals over the Wildcats 59-54. Senior Marcus Jordan received some advice his world famous father, Michael Jordan, at halftime. “He talked to me at halftime and told me to attack the paint,” Jordan said.

And the younger Jordan did just that in the second half. He scored the game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and was perfect at the charity stripe at 8-for-8. “It’s nice to finally have my own moment,” Jordan said. “My father had a lot.”

On the other side of the ball, he pressured junior sensation Reggie Smith with his defensive muscle causing him to go cold in the second half. Smith came out hot in the first quarter scoring 8 points, which led to a 16-2 lead, but in the second half, he only contributed 2 points. “They played me hard, especially after the first quarter. Their defense really cut down on my shots,” said Smith after the game.

The Dolphins got back in the game with pressure, holding Thornton to force some stuff shots

and even a cold spell where they only had one field for over 9 minutes.

“This was a testament to the hard work these guys have put in throughout the season,” Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. “All the travels and all the ups and downs.”

Dolphins guard Chris Colvin knocked down 12 points, 5 assist and 4 key steals on the evening. Little known Stan Brown made his presence felt as well scoring 8 points, as did Purdue recruit, Anthony Johnson with 7 points. “It’s a wonderful feeling to finally get to state after falling short the past two years,” Colvin said. “We knew a basketball game was four quarters, so we would have a chance to climb back into it.”

Sophomore guard Jay Parker led the Wildcats (29-2) with 12 points and four assists. Rivers finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Thornton had won 29 consecutive games.

“I thought our guys played tremendously hard,” Thornton coach Troy Jackson said. “In the second quarter our shots just stopped falling and we let them back in.”

Young will face Waukegan and the junior, Illinois recruit Jereme Richmond in the state championship game Saturday night.

“We haven’t seen a lot of them in person,” Slaughter said. “We know they have a couple all-area players and will definitely be ready to go.”

NOTE: We are proud to announce that for the entire month of February, S.C. Fitch Enterprises, and all of its affiliates including Amateur Sports News Network, ASNN365.com, and Amateur Sports Gallery will be honoring March as National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Click here for more information.

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