The last place finish at the West Suburban (Silver) Conference Meet on Saturday held in their own gym probably didn’t sting as bad as the fact that the Huskies weren’t able to at least get past rival Lyons Township.
The two teams have been going at it all season long in tournaments and regular meets. The Huskies came close to defeating their WSC foe in a match late last week, and did get the better of LT at the Lake Forest Invitational in the beginning of the month. But by placing fourth with a score of 138.175 at the conference tournament the Lions now have the upper hand.
With top performer M.G. Senseng out with the flu, the Huskies finished sixth (132.6) at the highly competitive tournament that features up to three teams with an opportunity to compete at State. Downers Grove North took first place by narrowly defeating Glenbard West. Downers finished with a score of 140.8, while Glenbard West had a 140.67. Hinsdale Central, who finished third with a score of 139.85, is hosting a sectional this season and is expected to go downstate.
OPRF head coach Kris Wright said having Senseng out of the lineup made a big difference in the Huskies’ scoring production.
“It would have been great to have her compete, especially with the meet in our own gym, but you don’t want to push the envelope. We have regionals and sectionals coming up so we need everyone healthy.”
Kathryn Gevitz placed 16th on the vault with an 8.95, and 15th in the all-around with a 33.30. On the bars, Kristine Wetzel scored an 8.2 for 11th place. Claire Sapko finished 13th with an 8.5 on the beam.
Wright said she is certain the regional won’t be as competitive as the conference.
“It’s a little sad to say but it’s easier for us to compete in the regional than it is to compete in the conference tournament. The [West Suburban (Silver)] is just stocked with talent this year.”
The Huskies begin the IHSA State regionals at Sandburg on Saturday (1 p.m.) where they’ll see none other than Lyons Township, a team they defeated by two tenths of a point for the first time in years last season.
The Huskies tallied a season-high score of 138.05 in a narrow loss to Lyons Township on Jan. 22 to close out the regular season. Senseng and Lauren Abrahamson led OPRF by placing first on bars and in the floor exercises respectively. Senseng scored a 9.25 on the bars, while Abrahamson tied for first in floor exercise with a 9.1.
Other top finishers included Gevitz and Baskin. Gevitz finished third on the vault with a score of 8.8. Baskin scored a 33.1 to finish third in the all-around.
OPRF did squeak past Lyons at the Lake Forest Invitational on Jan. 8. The Huskies placed seventh overall with a total score of 135.525, while the Lions finished eighth at 135.5. Senseng, returning to the lineup after an ankle sprain, had the Huskies’ best finish of third place on the bars.
Other schools competing in the regional include Andrew and Sandburg.
