Pacelli falls to St. Francis in state quarterfinals

KENNESAW, Ga. -- The Pacelli boys got a close look at the state's No. 1 basketball prospect.

Consider them convinced that he's as advertised.

"He's a good player," admitted coach Alan Griffin.

St. Francis senior Kobi Simmons scored 44 points, 26 of them in the first half, and lifted the defending state champions to a 105-79 win over Pacelli in the Class A Private boys quarterfinals at Kennesaw State.

Simmons, who has signed with the University of Arizona, had three 3-pointers and was 14-for-14 from the line.

"He's going good right now," St. Francis coach Andrew Catlett said. "Kobi is always in attack mode. He's ready to go from the start."

St. Francis (22-7) also got 21 points from Chance Anderson, 13 points from Anthony Shotwell and 10 from Wallace Tucker

Pacelli (17-10) was led by Triston Wells, who scored 28 points, 14 in each half. Tre Sudberry added 22 points and Armon Prophet scored 16, knocking down three 3-pointers in the second half.

St. Francis jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead to take control of the game. Before the foul-riddled first half was finished the Knights had a 53-38 lead. Pacelli's Ricky Carter fouled out before halftime, leaving when he got a technical foul for saying something to the official on his way off the court.

"We knew it would be a fast-paced game and we knew if we didn't hit shots it was going to be an uphill fight," Griffin said. "We showed we have some talent, but we're not deep enough or long enough to get behind."

Pacelli got back to within 10 points and was on the verge of getting back in the game, but each time the Vikings seemed to get close, St. Francis would have a burst and regain the momentum.

"But I'm proud of the way they competed," Griffin said. "They didn't back down. They weren't just happy to be here."

Catlett was worried about the Pacelli guards and tried to neutralize them as best as possible.

"They've got guys who can shoot and score," Catlett said. "I was reading about their team and the seniors they have and the three guards and they average a lot of points. I knew they could shoot it. You could never relax. Get up 10 or 12 and they hit a 3. Get up 15 and they hit a 3. That kind of team worries you."

Despite the loss, there were plenty of good things for Pacelli to be happy about.

Wells was able to work free for shots and Sudbury, who was guarded much of the night by Simmons, worked hard to get his 22. Prophet shot his deep range in the second half.

"This is the farthest we've ever been in the state tournament," Griffin said. "Hopefully, this is something we can build on."

St. Francis - 26-27-24-28 - 105

Pacelli - 14-24-13-28 - 79

Pacelli: Prophet 16, Sudbury 22, Rice 3, Wells 28, Gottfried 2, Just 6, Tanelus 2

St. Francis: Tucker 10, Simmons 44, Anthony Showell 13, Avery Showell 4, Hardeman 6, Anderson 21, Smith 1, Richter 2, White 4.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 10:30 PM with the headline "Pacelli falls to St. Francis in state quarterfinals ."