The OPRF girls basketball team worked off its Thanksgiving meal by picking up two victories on the same day to finish third at the Marist Tournament.
The Huskies (3-3) overcame any post turkey-chomping sluggishness by forcing 43 turnovers to secure a 53-29 victory over Rich Central in a 9:30 a.m. game the day after Thanksgiving. Maeve Connelly led the charge with 14 points and nine steals, despite only being on the court 14 minutes. Caroline Kelty added eight points, eight rebounds and seven steals, while Courtney Marshall came off the bench to score nine points.
Later in the day, OPRF avenged an earlier loss to T.F. North by wearing out the Meteors for a 72-41 win. Kelty finished with a triple-double of 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Cuyla Hall added 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Connelly posted 14 points. Hailey Hoye finished with a career-high 12 rebounds.
The Huskies fell to the host 62-54 to open the tournament, but edged St. Ignatius 47-46 the following night on Kelty’s buzzer-beating shot.
OPRF didn’t exactly shoot lights out against St. Ignatius — the Huskies made just 17 of 73 shots — but the one that mattered most was Kelty’s launch from the left wing near the baseline. The senior made just 6 of 26 from the field but nearly posted a triple-double. She finished with 19 points, 10 steals and nine rebounds. Hall added 10 points and eight rebounds in the win over St. Ignatius.
“Kelty’s shot was absolutely ridiculous but it couldn’t have been made without two terrific passes first from Hall on the in-bounds pass and Connelly’s pass to Kelty in the corner,” said OPRF head coach J.P. Coughlin.
Against Marist, the Huskies trailed 13-0 to start the game but rallied to take the lead late in the first half. OPRF cut the deficit to four with under a minute to go in the game, but Marist connected on their free throws.
Kelty led OPRF with 25 points with 12 rebounds despite being guarded by Division I recruits Jatuan Rouse (Marquette) and Leah Bolton (Illinois). Hoye contributed 15 points and Helen Onyenso hauled down 12 rebounds off the bench for the Huskies, who also lost to Homewood-Flossmoor 49-42 in the tournament after shooting just 24 percent from the field.
Coughlin said there are still several areas that his Huskies need to work on.
“We have to be tougher and stronger on our inside finishes, I’m confident we will turn that aspect of our game around,” he said. “We are loving the pace we are playing —averaging nearly 70 shots a game — and I love the effort and enthusiasm these girls bring every day. I see this group getting better I think they are starting to get some real confidence heading into conference season.”
The Huskies host York on Friday (7:30 p.m.).