With its 65-27 thumping of Bishop McNamara in Oak Park on Saturday afternoon, the Fenwick girls basketball team took a step closer to winning the program’s 13th straight East Suburban Catholic Conference title.
The Friars, currently undefeated in the conference at 5-0, still need to take on Marist, Marian Catholic, Carmel, and Providence, but the second-ranked team in the state is by far the favorite.
The dynamic duo of Devereaux Peters and Alison Jackson combined to score 17 of their team’s 29 points in the first quarter of Saturday’s rout. Peters finished with 16 on the day, while Jackson tallied 14. Freshman phenom Tricia Liston helped the cause with 12, and Erin Power dished out 11 assists as the Friars reached the 20-win plateau.
Peters and Jackson also led the Friars to a 49-37 non-conference win over Hope on Thursday. Peters finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Jackson churned out 12 points and seven rebounds. Power finished with a career-high 14 assists and nine steals.
Fenwick’s lone loss thus far was to defending state champ Bolingbrook at the McDonald’s Shootout two weeks ago.
“We’re doing a very good job on defense for the most part,” said Fenwick head coach Dave Power. “We had a bit of a setback with Bolingbrook, but we can learn from it and move on. Hopefully, we’ll see them again down the road.”
The Friars received a scare in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game when guard Morgan Price landed awkwardly after a rebound attempt. Price was taken by ambulance after the game to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where she was treated for an elbow and head injury. The junior reserve was released that same evening. Dave Power said that although Price is bruised up, “there’s nothing broken and she’s going to be okay.”
That’s good news with the Friars about to embark on a few weeks of grueling games and extensive travel. As part of the Sweet 16 tournament, Fenwick will play two games at Lake Zurich High School on Saturday. The Friars will take on Schaumburg at 10 a.m., followed by a game against Naperville Central at 7 p.m. After hosting Carmel on Jan. 31 (7 p.m.), the team packs up and flies to Philadelphia for a two-day tournament. Dave Power said he’s looking forward to the trip.
“My 80-year-old father lives out there so he’s going to get to see his granddaughter (Erin Power) play basketball,” he said. “It’s also going to be a fun experience for the entire team.”
