Simeion Harris, Sandwich keep run going with win at Plano

PLANO – Simeion Harris took a charge, bounced up off the court and let out a roar.

Sandwich’s speedy senior got the nickname “Flash” in football, and indeed electrified with his big-play running ability.

Defense, however, is where Harris brings the most juice on the basketball court.

“When I play defense it encourages the team, it builds them up, it gives them energy and motivates them,” Harris said. “That’s how we got those runs, with tips, playing defense.”

Sandwich is on quite a run, and kept it rolling Monday at Plano.

Harris, at the top of Sandwich’s 1-3-1 zone, had Plano out of sorts.

The visiting Indians never trailed and led by as many as 17 in a 64-54 Kishwaukee River Conference win, avenging an early season loss to the Reapers.

Sandwich (13-10, 6-2), after dropping its first two conference games to Johnsburg and Plano, has won six straight in the league, putting the Indians right in the thick of the KRC race. The Indians have won eight of nine games total in January, the lone loss to Cascade (Iowa).

“We’re just playing as a team, playing more fundamentally sound and playing good defense. Defense wins games,” Sandwich senior Dom Rome said. “We rely on Simeion playing good defense. He plays good defense, we play good as a team.”

Rome had 19 points and nine rebounds, Harris 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals and Griffin Somlock 15 points for Sandwich. Vinny Cesario scored 13 points and Gabe Steele 12 for Plano (11-10, 5-3).

First-year Sandwich coach Matt Chalfin, previously Plano’s freshman coach, said the catalyst to the Indians' run since a 1-7 start was Rome and, yes, running.

“Dom came up to me after one of our games and said we need to run more, that we need to get conditioned and keep this going,” Chalfin said. “That kid, nobody works harder. He wants to run more in practice. He wants to be conditioned. Early season, I didn’t do a good enough job getting us conditioned. I have to give my seniors credit for this turnaround. They stepped up to the plate.”

Few run like the speedy Harris, who plans to run track in college.

Chalfin has put him at the bottom of Sandwich’s 1-3-1 with his speed sideline to sideline closing out. But Harris begs him every day to play the top, and it was easy to see why with him there Monday.

He had five of Sandwich’s 12 steals in forcing 22 Plano turnovers, seven in the third quarter when the lead swelled to 17.

“When he’s at the top he anticipates way better than any kid I’ve seen this year,” Chalfin said. “He creates havoc, and he loves it.”

Somlock scored 10 of his 15 in the first quarter, Sandwich ending it with a 9-0 run for a 24-13 lead. It was 31-22 by halftime. Harris scored seven of his 17 in the third quarter, his leaping steal and turnaround jumper in transition giving Sandwich a 44-28 lead.

“We just couldn’t handle [the 1-3-1]. Harris at the top was just giving us fits,” Plano coach Kyle Kee said. “We couldn’t get it it by him.”

Plano, down 15 early in the fourth quarter, closed it to 49-41 with 3:52 left on Cesario’s steal and score.

Cesario and Taron McGowan, two of Plano’s three top scorers, hadn’t practiced all week while out sick, and didn’t start, but Cesario heated up with all 13 of his points in the second half.

It called for Chalfin to switch defenses, and stick Harris on him. Plano never got closer than seven.

“Vinny is one kid if he gets going, he’s trouble,” Chalfin said. “He hit a couple 3s and we had to switch to man. We put Sim on him and said don’t let him breathe.”

Harris accepted the challenge, and wasn’t surprised Plano didn’t go away quietly.

“I’m just confident. Coach puts me on someone, says I have to lock down, I’m going to do it,” Harris said. “I played for Plano, I used to, they got heart. They’re always going to fight at the end.”

Indeed they did, but 6-for-26 shooting from 3 and 30% shooting overall, a cold spell that’s hit Plano the last few weeks, made it a tall task against a taller and red-hot Sandwich.

“They’re doing everything right,” Kee said. “Rome right now, he’s the best player in the conference, he’s unbelievable. We don’t have anybody to match with him. Not many do.”