Now a senior, it may be Michael Black’s time to shine. The Fenwick guard did just that on Saturday by leading the Friars to a 52-47 victory over St. Patrick to win the Shamrocks’ Thanksgiving Tournament.
Black scored 18 points and, along with Evan Okrzesik, clamped down defensively on the Shamrocks’ top players Brian Smith and Tim Traversa (12 points).
With 5:20 left in the third quarter and the Friars trailing 32-20, Fenwick’s Patrick McGrail hit two three-pointers and Black eased in a driving layup to cut the deficit to four.
The Friars (2-1) outscored St. Patrick 19-10 in the fourth quarter, with Black bucketing a pair of key free throws with seconds remaining to seal the win.
“This was probably the best defensive effort I’ve seen out of our team in five years,” said Fenwick head coach John Quinn. “I was really impressed with the way Okrzesik and Black played defensively. They weren’t giving them anything.”
Six-foot-6 sophomore Korney Darby led the Shamrocks (2-1) with 14 points.
Fenwick’s big man, the 6-7 David Suwada, finished with six points and five rebounds on the night. Xavier Humphrey added 11 points for Fenwick.
In the second round on Friday, the Friars pummeled Longwood 66-26. Humphrey led the team with 15 points and five rebounds.
Despite a 31-point performance by Black, Fenwick fell to North Chicago 63-61 in the opening round.
Black, Okrzesik and Humphrey were selected all-tournament players. Black was awarded Most Valuable Player.
The Friars travel to Brother Rice on Friday (Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.) for a Catholic League cross-over game, and host Mt. Carmel in their home opener on Dec. 12.