“We’re like a 7th grader who measures himself in the doorway every morning, hoping to see he has grown two inches overnight, only to find the growth takes longer than that; we’re not exactly where we want to be yet but we’re very pleased with our efforts towards making the progression,” said OPRF girls basketball coach Bob Biggins regarding the current state of his team.
The Huskies (8-9) are coming off a respectable 3-2 finish at the Montini Holiday Tournament. Having dropped its first two games — a 48-34 loss to Bogan and a lopsided 70-35 loss to Marian Catholic — OPRF made mince meat of Hinsdale South in the third round, securing a 66-55 victory. Stekara Hall led the charge with 31 points, while Raven Hurley added 14 and Camille Scott 12. The Huskies exploded for 33 points in the second quarter.
Down 20 early in the fourth quarter in Game 4 against West Suburban (Silver) Conference foe York, the Huskies rallied to clinch a 61-59 victory over the Dukes. Hall finished with 30 points, 16 of which came in the final period. The junior guard also made a driving layup with 1.2 seconds on the clock to secure the win. Amber Lara (4 points in the fourth), Hurley (4 points) and Carolyn Kelty (5 points) all played major roles in the final period for the Huskies, who blasted St. Joseph 82-67 in the final game.
Hall led the scoring with 35 points in that win, while Shelby Cozette added 18.
“We are very pleased with the results of this tourney,” said Biggins. “We entered as the only team with a losing record and after a slow opening day we played strong offensively, great defensively and set the pace where we wanted it and where we need it to be successful.”
The Huskies now have a heavy slate of games coming up as they jump back into conference play. The team is currently 3-2 in conference.
“We’re hoping to continue with a fast-style, pressing-defense type of play, with our goals being first to get to and above .500 and secondly, to be a factor in the conference championship, and ultimately to be playing our best come playoff time,” said Biggins.
OPRF begins the Fenton Tournament on Jan. 5. The Huskies return home to take on Proviso West on Friday (7:30 p.m.).
