Top-ranked Simeon gets nod as 91st Pontiac Holiday Tournament favorite
It should come as no surprise that Chicago (Simeon) is the top-seeded team at the 91st annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament. The Wolverines were given the target Sunday afternoon after PHT Director Jim Drengwitz made the announcement. This came after the seeding committee spent about two hours in the morning coming up with the seeds and the first-round matchups.
Simeon, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, according to The Associated Press, is the defending champion after its 71-58 drubbing of favored Chicago (Curie) in the 2021 final.
The other seeded teams are Joliet (West) at No. 2, Benet Academy at No. 3 and Curie as the fourth seed.
The seeding committee officially seeds the top four teams and then tries to fit in the unofficial seeding to fill out the overall bracket. The idea is to create the fairest and best first-round matchups that will lead to a stronger grouping in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds on each side of the bracket.
One of those matchups where the committee felt justified in its decision was moving Pontiac to the 9 p.m. contest — the final game — of the first day. That's because the host Indians are fielding one of its best teams in recent years. The Tribe is 7-2 after placing second at the Colmone Classic last week. Pontiac lost for the second time this season to Princeton, who is unbeaten and ranked third in Class 2A.
Pontiac will open against Aurora West (5-3). In not trying to make it an easy road, the winner of this game will likely take on the favored Wolverines, who play the 7:30 p.m. game against St. Charles (North).
The Indians last played the late game on the first day in 2012 when it lost to Bloomington.
Simeon came in unbeaten at 6-0 at the time of the seeding. Assistant coach Marcus Alderson knows his team is pretty good but he is also understanding in taking caution.
“We're looking pretty good,” Alderson said Sunday. “A lot of teams can upset any of the four seeds. You have to be cautious about playing, you can't overlook a Pontiac if you're trying to get to a Curie.”
Simeon is led by 6-foot-8 twins Miles Rubin and Wes Rubin. Alderson said they are playing really well right now. He also noted that the Wolverines have four guards who can start anywhere.
The 91st PHT will open on Dec. 28 with Bloom Township taking on Plainfield (North) in the 9 a.m. Game. This tips off three days of basketball that will see 26 games played.
Third-seed Benet, which is ranked eighth in Class 4A, will face Oak Park-River Forest in the second game and Peoria (Manual) takes on Lockport in the third contest, which opens the afternoon session at 1 p.m. No. 2 Joliet (West), which is ranked third in Class 4A, will take on Bloomington in the last game of the top half of the bracket.
The bottom part of the bracket opens with Winnetka (New Trier) meeting Gurnee (Warren Twp.) in what will be the final game of the afternoon session.
The evening session tips off with fourth-seeded Curie taking on Danville at 6 p.m. This will be followed by Simeon-St. Charles (North) and then Pontiac-Aurora West.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Top-ranked Simeon gets nod as 91st Pontiac Holiday Tournament favorite
