When the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys basketball team is in full flight, the Huskies provide a breathtaking style of play. OPRF describes this as “Huskie Havoc.” At their peak, they play with a potent balance of control and creativity.
By any description, the Huskies’ level of play overwhelmed host Riverside-Brookfield 79-62 in the Riverside-Brookfield Bill VandeMerkt Thanksgiving Classic final.
The score didn’t seem even that close.
Senior forward Jared Scott (24 points, 9 rebounds) set the tone early, scoring the Huskies’ first seven points. He added a 3-pointer and post-up basket to power OPRF to a 17-12 lead after one quarter
“I’m glad we’re gelling this early in the season,” Scott said. “We believe in each other. Our defense was great against R-B. We like to push the ball, but we also can play offense in the half court and be patient, smart with our possessions.”
Midway through the second quarter, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound Scott threw down a two-handed dunk to cap off a 13-2 run, which extended the Huskies’ lead to 32-17.
“I’ve wanted to get a dunk and I got one,” said Scott, who is fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury last year.
RBHS senior center Calvell Randall played well in the paint, scoring nine of his 11 points in the second half to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance at 36-25.
The Bulldogs’ only lead of the game occurred on senior swingman Jalen Brooks’ layup to go up 6-4. The teams tied twice but OPRF essentially controlled the game from start to finish.
Ignited by three consecutive layups by junior Isaiah Fuller (16 points, 7 assists), OPRF had an 11-6 spurt to push the lead to 56-42 in the final minute of the third quarter. The 6-1 guard, who is a very good passer as well, kept the decision-making simple.
“If a defender helps, I pass the ball. If there’s no help, I go to the basket,” Fuller said. “We finally beat R-B to win this championship.”
Up 58-44 entering the fourth, the Huskies built their advantage to 73-50 causing RBHS coach Tom McCloskey to pull his starters midway through the quarter.
Along with Scott and Fuller, starters Cameron Gross (11 points, 9 rebounds), Dashon Enoch and Malachi Ross played well as the Huskies’ athleticism, size, speed and depth caused multiple problems for the Bulldogs.
With backup senior guards Kelton Pickett and Jack Simpson, plus a bevy of promising “bigs,” including Mike Saleh, Phil Saleh, Eddie Gorens and Charlie Hoehne, the OPRF bench is versatile and deep.
“We just wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” Pickett said. “We want to make our defense our offense. It’s fun playing on this team because everybody does their job and takes pressure off one another. We work hard in practice which makes the games easier.”
The Huskies boast eight players 6-4 or taller.
In other games, OPRF beat St. Laurence 70-52 as Scott and Enoch shared scoring honors with 15 points each. Fuller had 14 points, five assists and five steals and Ross contributed eight points and 12 rebounds.
Fuller scored a game-high 14 points and dished out five assists and Gross added 11 points and six boards to lift OPRF past Rich Central 49-34. In their tourney opener, the Huskies crushed Rich East 85-59. Hoehne scored 17 points to lead six players in double figures.
The Huskies, who played primarily man-to-man defense, played excellent defense against RBHS.
“Our No. 1 goal was to make them count by two not by three,” OPRF coach Matt Maloney said. “Cicenas, Trelenberg and Clanton are all great shooters so we chased them off the three-point arc.
“On offense, we felt like we had some mismatches we could exploit inside. Our guards did a nice job feeding the post.”
Senior forward Jalen Brooks led the Bulldogs with 15 points, while highly touted senior guards Jalen Clanton and Henry Trelenberg scored 12 apiece.
Despite the disappointing result in the finals, the Bulldogs played well overall at their season-opening home tourney.
The Bill VandeMerkt Thanksgiving Classic all-tourney team includes Scott (MVP), Fuller, Trelenberg, Clanton, Rich Central’s Glen Abram and Rich East’s Antron Washington.
Since the tournament’s inception in 2003, OPRF has won it twice (2016, 2013) and RBHS six times (2015, 2014, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2003).
OPRF (4-0) turns its attention to a Friday, Dec. 2 showdown at 9 p.m. against cross-town rival Fenwick at the Chicago Elite Classic. The Huskies and Friars square off as Friday’s main event game of the two-day tourney, which is hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago. The prestigious tournament features some of the best teams in both the Chicago area and around the country. For more information, visit www.chicagoeliteclassic.com
“That’s going to be a tough game,” Pickett said about the Fenwick matchup. “We’re going to be put in a lot of game prep work during practice. We are thrilled to be 4-0 and excited to play Fenwick.”