In the OPRF boys basketball team’s 55-44 loss to Downers Grove South at the field house in Oak Park on Saturday night, something more valuable may have been lost.
Starting point guard Ka’Darryl Bell went out early with a wrist injury. The Bradley-bound Bell collided with a Mustangs defender while attempting to attack the rim in the first quarter. He tumbled to floor onto his wrist and remained on the court for about a minute before walking back to the bench.
Bell attempted to return a few minutes after sustaining his injury, but complained of pain and numbness. He never did come back in after that. His status going forward was unknown as of press time.
“We could have attempted to play Ka’Darryl in the game, but we decided not to gamble with the injury,” said OPRF head coach Matt Maloney. “It’s a long season and we were not willing to risk any further injury.”
Upon Bell’s departure from the lineup, the Huskie offense struggled to create open shots.
“We had a lot of very nice looks, and we had a number of open threes that did not go down,” said Maloney. “I would have preferred that we took more shots near the rim, but Ka’Darryl is our leader at driving to the basket. We missed him in that facet.”
The Huskies struggled mightily in the first half. The offense appeared out of sync and there was stagnant ball movement. Every time the Huskies attempted to attack the rim, the Mustangs secured the paint instantly, contesting every shot. OPRF ended the half with a season low 14 points.
What the Huskies lacked in offense, they made up for on the defensive side of the ball. But the flat shooting took its toll. Sixth-man and senior Alex Nesnidal was unable to find his stroke, ending the game with a woeful 1-of-9 shooting. The rest of the team made 16 of 42 from the field overall.
The bright spot for Huskies came by way of strong performances by big-men Alex Gustafson and Gabe Levin. Levin ended the game as the Huskies’ leading scorer, luring in 22 points and establishing himself as a horse in the paint.
The loss was OPRF’s first of the season.