6’8 forward Steve Taylor was the best player in the 81st annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament (Pontiac, IL). His reverse slam over 6’9 Chicago Curie star Cliff Alexander helped Simeon (#1 in Illinois) hand Curie (#3 in Illinois) their first loss of the season to win Pontiac’s first ever all-Chicago final. Taylor was a unanimous selection to the all-tournament team. This was Simeon’s 10th Pontiac title in the last 16 years and this year’s crowds (2800+ per game) shattered records. The Pontiac Holiday tournament is highly regarded among Illinois HS basketball fans for the quality of the teams (City vs. Suburban), hospitality of the hosts and volunteers, the diehard, enthusiastic crowds and the big (yet intimate) old-school Central Illinois gym.
Every high school basketball fan should make the trip to Pontiac!
Thanks to everyone at Pontiac for making ballislife.com’s first trip a memorable one.