Playing against neighboring Oak Park and River Forest High School in the Chicago Elite Classic seems to bring out the best in Fenwick High School boys basketball guard Ty Macariola.
After scoring 20 points in last year’s 64-60 victory, Macariola had a game-high 26 points to lead the Friars past the Huskies 56-47 on Dec. 1 at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Credit Union One Arena.
“I’ve been going to the Chicago Elite Classic since I was in third grade and dreamed of this moment all my life,” he said. “I love this rivalry and grew up watching it.”
Unlike many previous OPRF-Fenwick games that were decided in the final minutes, the Friars (4-2) took control early, outscoring the Huskies (3-2) 19-12 in the first quarter, Macariola leading the way with 12 points.
“Ty is Ty,” said Fenwick coach David Fergerson. “In these moments, he’s another person. He comes out and plays with his heart and is a true all-out warrior. I love him for it.”
Fenwick gradually built its advantage, leading 28-19 at halftime and 42-31 after three quarters. OPRF, which rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter last year to tie before falling, had a couple of chances to make a similar charge down the stretch this year. However, foul trouble hampered the Huskies as they saw junior center Alex Vincent (12 points, eight rebounds) foul out with 6:04 left.
“[Vincent] has to stay out of foul trouble,” said OPRF coach Phil Gary. “When he gets tired, he reaches and gets a little lazy. I need to take him out a little more.”
Poor shooting, especially from distance, was another issue for OPRF. The Huskies shot 38 percent (18-of-47) from the field, including just one made 3-pointer in 15 tries, and went 10-of-18 (56%) from the free-throw line.
Senior guard Max Johnson tied Vincent for OPRF team-high scoring with 12 points, while junior forward Alex Gossett added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“Fenwick played a little bit tougher and wanted it more than we did tonight,” Gary said. “They were more aggressive than we were in attacking the basket.”
The Friars went to the line 33 times and made 27. That proved to be the difference in outcome. Junior guard Deonte Meeks had 11 points, and junior forward Nate Marshall nine points and seven rebounds for Fenwick.
“He’s the little engine that could,” said Fergerson of Meeks, who stands 5-6. “He’s the smallest guy on the court, but you’ve got to let people know you’re here. Deonte is faster than most guys, and I’ll take speed over size any day.”
The victory was a nice comeback for Fenwick, which was routed at Mount Carmel 55-25 on Nov. 28.
“What we did at Mount Carmel, that’s not Fenwick basketball,” Fergerson said. “This is a great event, and we said, “Let’s give people a taste of who we are. We’re still a work in progress and want to get better, and we’ve got to keep building day-by-day.”
“We have a bunch of winnable games coming up, so this will increase our confidence,” Macariola added.
Meanwhile, OPRF looks to bounce back. Gary said one loss doesn’t define a season and the Huskies will get to work correcting their mistakes.
“We always want to do well against Fenwick, but we’ve got to regroup now,” he said. “We’ll be better for this.”
“We’re going to hold our heads high and come back better,” added OPRF junior forward Justin Bowen. “We’ve got to come to practice with a new mindset and stay locked in.”
Following a game at Marmion Academy on Dec. 5 (after deadline), Fenwick will host St. Rita at 7 p.m., Dec. 8. OPRF visits Lyons Township, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m., then hosts Glenbrook South at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.