Coach Todd Raridon’s squad downed Robert Morris, 88-72, in the opening game Friday, November 18. The Cards got an impressive performance from Simmons who dropped 32 points on the Eagles, tying a career high. Simmons added six rebounds, two blocks and three steals on the defensive end.
Also in double digits for North Central were seniors Adam Teising (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Ray Vicario (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) with 14 and 12 points, respectively, while freshman Chris Drennan (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) had 10.
North Central beat Loras 70-57 in the championship game Saturday night. Junior Dan Walton (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) took control in the contest, scoring a career high 33 points on 14-of-17 shooting from the field. Teising contributed nine points in the win, while Drennan notched eight. Simmons had seven points and three assists.
The Cardinals held Loras to just 39 percent shooting in the game.
“I thought we played hard all weekend,” said Raridon. “Simmons had a good game Friday and then we got a nice effort from Walton on Saturday, and Teising played real well in both games. I thought we played very well defensively in the championship and stuck to our game plan."
Along with Simmons, Walton and Teising were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Cardinals take their 2-0 record into next Wednesday’s match-up with local rival Benedictine University. Tip-off for the home contest is set for 7:30 pm.