Curie upsets Simeon to earn a spot in the Public League final four

The Public League playoffs, widely known as the city tournament, date back to 1901. They are a Chicago institution and a treasure.

This is the 123rd edition. There was no tournament in 2021 due to COVID. The format has changed through the years as every Chicago Public Schools sports administration values it differently.

Curie or Simeon has appeared in the title game for the past ten tournaments. The Condors are the defending champions and Simeon won in 2023. For whatever reason, this year two of the quarterfinals were hosted by Corliss and the city powerhouses met for an odd noon tipoff on Saturday.

As soon as the ball hit the court, the intensity arrived. Seven technical fouls and two hours later, the Condors held a 74-68 victory over No. 13 Simeon and a spot in the final four on Thursday.

Mike Oliver Jr. scored 23 points and grabbed five rebounds. He scored 11 in the first quarter to help the Condors build a lead and sealed the win at the end, making 5 of 6 free throws in the final 32 seconds to hold off any Simeon comeback.

Curie coach Mike Oliver says that while the game is happening he doesn’t fully appreciate that Oliver Jr.

“He’s just another player during the game,” Oliver said. “But later on when I think back and realize that my son contributed like that today in an elite eight game it is going to be really special.”

“I was [excited] since 9 a.m. this morning,” Oliver Jr said. “I was ready. I dreamed of this as a little kid so I’m just enjoying the moment.”

The Condors (20-8) lost to Simeon (19-7) twice this year, once at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament in late December and then in a conference game at Curie on Jan. 31.

“The difference this time was playing hard on defense and limiting turnovers,” Condors senior Brad Johnson said. “We are on the rise again.”

Johnson finished 17 points and eight rebounds. Senior Justin Oliver added 15 points and four rebounds.

Curie led 37-35 early in the third quarter. Simeon’s bench picked up a technical in the second quarter, but most of the game’s drama occurred in the second half. The Wolverines finished with a total of five technical fouls. They were given to various players and an assistant coach. Curie coach Mike Oliver picked up one of his own while Simeon was shooting free throws for a technical on a Curie player.

“I knew it was going to be a heated game but I’ve never seen five technical fouls on a team,” Oliver said. “The referees let it get out of hand a little bit. Both teams were chirping.”

Senior Lorenzo Shields led Simeon with 23 points and Julien Doyle added 19. Junior Andre Tyler Jr. finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks off the bench.

“It’s about understanding what you need to do,” Simeon coach Tim Flowers said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve beaten a team two times before. We just didn’t rebound well enough. We gave up too many opportunities for second-chance points.”

Curie will play the Lincoln Park vs. Hyde Park winner in the semifinals on Friday at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena. The championship game is at UIC on Saturday.