After allowing two teams to sneak back from distant deficits earlier in the week, Fenwick didn’t give Providence the opportunity at home on Saturday. The Friars downed their East Suburban Catholic foe 70-41, a triumph considering the team watched big leads against St. Viator and area-rival Trinity dwindle in two previous games, yet still came away with wins.
Brittanny Johnson led the onslaught over Providence, scoring 18 points. Fenwick (10-0, 4-0) had four players reach double-digits in scoring, including Devereaux Peters (14 points), Samantha Woods (11 points) and Alison Jackson (10 points).
Against St. Viator on Dec. 8, the Friars built a 17-point lead in the first half only to watch it evaporate in the fourth quarter. St. Viator tied things up with less than a minute remaining in the game before Johnson rescued the Friars from their first loss on the season with a game-winning layup near the buzzer to win 51-49. Johnson finished with 22 points on the night.
In front a packed gym of 1,200 fans at Trinity in River Forest on Dec. 7, the Friars again held a commanding 17-point lead before things went awry. This time it was Peters who saved the day for the Friars. The 6-foot-2-inch sophomore bucketed her team’s final five points, including a vital free throw at the end of the game to lead Fenwick to a 66-63 victory.
“It feels good, but I was scared and trying to hold it together to make the basket,” said Peters of the pressure shot. She scored 12 points in the first half to give Fenwick a 34-30 edge at the break.
Johnson, who fouled out with more than two minutes remaining in the game, finished the night with 17 points, while Woods added 16 and Jackson 13 for the Friars.
“We knew that Trinity just knocked out two highly ranked teams, and we didn’t want to be the third,” said Fenwick head coach Dave Power after the game. “It’s a real credit to our girls to come out of here with a win.”
In the second half, the Friars jumped on a 9-0 run, and led 51-38 after three periods.
Fenwick kicks-off the Sweet 16 Shootout tournament at home against Riverside-Brookfield on Thursday at 7 p.m.
