Fenwick falls to Simeon at invitational

Trinity and Fenwick girls basketball had an eventful weekend when both programs suited up against the top teams in the state. The Friars participated in the Chicagoland Showcase invitational while Trinity hoops went to Glenbard West to play in the Grow the Game Tournament. Here is how both teams finished off their winter “break.”

Friars lose 73-55 to Simeon

Fenwick (17-2) was put to the test against the seventh-best team in the state and held its own until midway through the second quarter. Down 26-17 at the beginning of the quarter, the Friars took advantage of three Simeon turnovers to pull the game to 26-25. However, the Wolverines went on a 14-0 run with 5:17 left in the half and distanced themselves from the Friars the rest of the way.

Fenwick’s Elise Heneghan poured in 17 points while her teammate Audrey Hinrichs went for 16. Simeon’s Aneesa Morrow (15 Division 1 offers) and Khaniah Gardner (21 Division 1 offers), however, stole the show on Jan. 4. Morrow had 31 points (14-of-23 shooting), 15 rebounds, and 6 assists and Gardner put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Going into the game, the Friars were ranked eighth in the state and have dominated teams despite the strength of their schedule. With the loss to Simeon, the team might have had a wakeup call.

“If you ask me, I think Simeon was the best team in that gym all day,” said Fenwick head coach Dave Power. “That is the team we want to play. I do walk away thinking, ‘We have a definite chance at beating [Simeon] another day.’ Yesterday just wasn’t our day, and I think we will be ready for them if we face them in the playoffs.” 

Fenwick plays Montini Catholic on Jan. 9 at home to open up the second half of the season.

Editor’s note: This article does not contain the final score of Fenwick’s game against Loyola Academy on Jan. 7 since it occurred after this edition of Wednesday Journal was printed. Check online at oakpark.com.

Trinity places sixth at Grow the Game tournament 

Trinity (9-8) has been riddled with injuries the first half of the season, but finally had its entire group back going into the Grow the Game Tournament. The Blazers struggled in their first three games, but ended up beating St. Ignatius, who is ranked 41st in the state by MaxPreps.com, 51-45, on the final day of the event.

Another highlight from the tournament came when Trinity’s Makiyah Williams scored her 1,000^th career point as a Blazer. Williams entered the game against St. Ignatius with 999 points and collected an offensive rebound at the top of the key early in the contest. She took one dribble, stepped into a three and buried it to notch 1,002 career points (she ended the game with 19).

“I got chills when she made it honestly,” said Trinity head coach Kim Coleman, who also coached Williams in AAU basketball. “I’ve watched her become a woman who represents her school and family and to see her become a vocal leader for this team this season has been great.”

Grow the Game was created to raise awareness about equality in sport while giving young women the opportunity to succeed. Between the first and second games of the tourney, Melissa Isaacson, a former sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune and now a motivational speaker, gave a 30-minute speech about the opportunities basketball can present for female athletes.

Coleman said the team was touched by Isaacson’s speech and that being at an all-girls school helps the student-athletes see how high their potential can take them when given the chance to thrive.

“They aren’t competing with a boys basketball or football team,” said Coleman. “When they walk into school and hear the announcements, they get to hear how we just beat Ignatius because it is about them. They get that sense of empowerment because they aren’t in the shadow of boys.”