Senior Connor Fuller and his Oak Park and River Forest boys basketball teammates responded to a 7-9 record after an overtime loss Jan. 16 by winning their next seven games.
“It was just a toughness,” he said. “Everybody realized the season was almost over. Everybody knew they had to play hard. Everybody just bought in. The leaders stepped up. Everybody stepped up.”
The Huskies came out with a defensive toughness Friday against area-ranked Kenwood Academy, but they couldn’t keep pace offensively and lost 74-56 in the Class 4A Morton Regional final.
Breshawn Wilkerson (17 points with 2 threes, 3 steals) and Fuller (13 points), the two senior starters, were among top scorers for the Huskies (17-12), the No. 7 seed in the Riverside-Brookfield Sectional. Junior Cameron Gross (13 points, 6 rebounds) and freshman Dashon Enoch (12 points) also scored in double figures.
The No. 2 Broncos (21-4) advance to the sectional semifinals against No. 6 Proviso East (17-9), which OPRF beat 92-75 Feb. 23.
“We needed that type of game in order to win tonight. We just couldn’t quite generate enough (transition points) from our defense,” OPRF coach Matt Maloney said.
“Unfortunately, it was one of those nights where shots weren’t falling. When we’ve scored, it’s been a lot of times playing fast and scoring off of our defense. Kenwood ran that press just to slow us down. We just weren’t able to turn them over as much as we needed.”
The Broncos are led by NCAA Division I-bound seniors Nick Robinson (15 points) and point guard Zion Morgan (11 points, 4 assists). The Huskies opened in a 1-3-1 zone defense but quickly switched to man-to-man after falling behind. They still often disrupted ball handlers with double teams near half-court.
The Huskies allowed only 26 first-half points yet trailed by 13. They made 6 of just 14 shots with only one offensive rebound and committed eight turnovers on 22 possessions.
“I was really proud of what we did defensively,” Maloney said. “But you’ve got to tip your cap to (Kenwood). They hit some tough shots, some big threes. They’re just so versatile.”
Enoch hit a three on the Huskies’ first possession of the second half to cut the gap to 26-16, but they trailed 48-29 after three quarters as Kenwood senior Charlie Harlan (17 points) sank four threes in the period. The margin grew to 25 points midway through the fourth quarter.
“Every night is not your best night so you have to rely on other things. That’s what happened tonight,” Connor Fuller said. “I hope they have a good season next year. Coach was really proud that we didn’t give up at the end of the game.”
The Huskies graduate seven seniors but also started Enoch and sophomore Isaiah Fuller and sophomore Malachi Ross was a key reserve. Losing senior starter Jared Scott to injury in early January further stressed the underclassmen.
“I think the second half (of the season) they really matured beyond their years,” Maloney said.
Connor Fuller and Wilkerson have been with the varsity since halfway through their sophomore seasons.
Wilkerson will play football at Davenport University (Grand Rapids, Mich.), which plans to join NCAA Division II in the 2017-18 season. Fuller, Deandre Enoch and Pat Skrine plan on playing college basketball.
“(This program) means a lot, knowing the great players that have come out of Oak Park and just knowing that I have a lot to play for and a lot of people to look up to,” Fuller said.