Bowman Academy rolled easily to win the 1A state championship last year. They have a lot of new pieces this year though. They lost 9 seniors from last year's squad including 3 that are currently playing D1 basketball. Make no mistake about it though, they are talented and have the ability to make a deep run in the state tournament again.
Bowman faced a major challenge in Simeon. Simeon is always a Chicago power...Derrick Rose played his high school ball there. The game started with a frantic pace. Up and down the floor with Simeon substituting five players at a time to stay fresh and keep up the intense pressure. Bowman jumped out to a 23-20 lead after the first quarter.
The pace slowed considerably in the second quarter. No one was doing much damage for Bowman except DeJuan Marrero. Marrero played very well in the first half. He had 13 of his 15 points in the first half. Jabari Parker, 6'7" PF Simeon 2013, was showing off his complete game. He was rebounding, scoring inside, handling the ball, passing really well. It is no mistake why everyone college in America wants him. Simeon was ahead 32-31 at half time.
Mike Ford, 6'4" SF Bowman 2012, stepped up in the second half. He knocked down some 3's and was aggressively taking the ball to the basket. Although, he wasn't always able to finish against Simeon's great height inside. Steve Taylor, 6'7" PF Simeon 2012, and Rashawn McElrath, 6'6" SF Simeon 2011, really controlled the paint for Simeon with their great length and athleticism.
Bowman was never able to get into an offensive rhythm. They hurt themselves with a bunch of unforced turnovers. Bowman scored 23 in the first quarter and then a combined 23 in the next 3 quarters. Simeon cruised to a 61-46 victory.
{iACL type=!userid 1,62,91,110,187,64,171,166,122,802,391,162,475,1084,1207,171,1293,1307,167,92,169,362,157,63, 64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,76,77,79,80,82,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,96,97,98,99,1383,1384,163,1410,1411,1414,1415,1416,1417,1418,1419,1420,1421,1422,1423,1424,1425,1426,1427,1428,1429,1430,1431,1432,1433,1434,1435,1436,1437,1438,1439,1440,1441,1442,1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025}You must be a subscriber to read the rest of the article...click here to sign-up {/iACL} {iACL type=userid 1,62,91,110,187,64,171,166,122,802,391,162,475,1084,1207,171,1293,1307,167,92,169,362,157,63, 64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,76,77,79,80,82,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,96,97,98,99,1383,1384,163,1410,1411,1414,1415,1416,1417,1418,1419,1420,1421,1422,1423,1424,1425,1426,1427,1428,1429,1430,1431,1432,1433,1434,1435,1436,1437,1438,1439,1440,1441,1442,1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025}
DeJuan Marrero, 6'5" PF Bowman 2012, showed more ball handling skills than he did in the past. He did have a handful of traveling violations mostly off of spin moves in traffic. He will be able to play a face-up 4 in college, but I do not see him being a 3 anytime soon. His shooting is still very inconsistent although he is a good free-throw shooter.
Elijah Ray, 6'6" PF Bowman 2012, really struggled in this game. He battled foul trouble and wasn't able to get much down offensively against Simeon's size and athleticism. I was hoping he would show a little bit more, but he was in foul trouble. I still think he is a low-major prospect with the possibility of developing into a mid-major player.
Mike Ford, 6'4" SG Bowman 2012, was pretty good. He showed that he can complete with great athletes on the perimeter and he can get to the rim against them. His shooting ability is his strength but he can do more than just shoot. I didn't see him go to the basket with his right hand at all. I see Ford as a very good mid-major prospect that can be a lock down defender at the next level.
Jaylin Airington, 6'2" PG Bowman 2011, is a guard that D2/NAIA schools should look into. Airington can shoot it from the outside really well and is a very good athlete that can handle the ball or play the off-guard.
{/iACL}