The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys basketball team had a solid showing downstate at the 92nd Pontiac Holiday Tournament Dec. 28-30.
The Huskies (5-7) started the tournament well, defeating St. Charles North 79-72 on Dec. 28. Alex Vincent led OPRF with 19 points and seven rebounds. Alex Gossett added 18 points and seven rebounds, plus Max Johnson 17 points and four assists, and Justin Bowen 11 points and nine rebounds.
The following day, the Huskies fell in the quarterfinals to Benet Academy 60-48. Johnson led scoring with 16 points, while Vincent had 13 points and nine rebounds.
In a consolation game on Dec. 30, OPRF led Simeon most of the way. But the Wolverines staged a late rally to prevail 48-46. Vincent led the Huskies with 17 points and seven rebounds. Bowen had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Johnson added 10 points.
Vincent received Honorable Mention for the All-Pontiac Tournament Team, averaging 17 points and 8.3 rebounds over three games.
Gossett suffered a foot injury during the Simeon game and couldn’t finish. OPRF coach Phil Gary thought losing him made the difference down the stretch.
“He’s averaging 14 points and eight rebounds, and it really hurt us not having him out there,” he said. “He’s athletic, can shoot, and does a lot of things for us, especially defensively.”
Overall, Gary felt OPRF played well in spurts and showed how good they can be. But going forward, he said, the Huskies need to be able to finish close games.
“We’re still growing and getting better,” Gary said, “but we’ve got to figure out ways to complete games. That’s been our issue, and that’ll be our emphasis going into the New Year. A rebound you don’t grab, a free throw you miss, those are things we can’t take for granted.”
Fenwick
Fenwick (9-5) tied for 11th at York’s 32-team Jack Tosh Holiday Classic with a 2-2 record.
After a 56-49 overtime victory over Naperville North, Dec. 26, the Friars lost to eventual champion Metamora 54-48 on Dec. 27, beat Batavia 48-45, Thursday, and lost to defending champion Rolling Meadows 60-57 Friday.
“This was one of the better tournaments I’ve been a part of as a player or a coach,” first-year Fenwick coach Dave Fergerson said.
Junior guard Dominick Ducree was named to the 20-player all-tournament team after averaging 14 points, with 11 three-pointers and 5.5 rebounds. He reached double figures every game, including 20 against Rolling Meadows.
Nathaniel Marshall and Ty Macariola scored in double figures twice. Marshall had 12 points and 10 rebounds against Naperville North.
Kamren Hogan had a team-high 16 points against Metamora with three 3s. Fenwick led the Cardinals 25-20 at halftime but were outscored 16-3 in the third quarter.
“That’s where the game was won and lost,” Fergerson said. “We played hard in the first half and opened some eyes that Fenwick basketball is here and we’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other and play well.”
Metamora (12-3), which edged Bolingbrook 72-71 in overtime Saturday for the championship, is the defending Class 3A state champion.
“We got to see that we can hang with the best. I feel like it just builds our confidence,” Macariola said.
“Our first half against Metamora, we came out with a lot of energy and we were super close to such a good team. That was our best half this year, honestly. The third quarter killed us.”
Fenwick dominated Naperville North (8-8) 9-2 in overtime. Fenwick outscored Batavia (11-4) 19-11 in the third quarter to lead 37-36.
The Friars faced multiple double-digit deficits against Rolling Meadows (12-2). Ducree’s last-second three to force overtime went off the rim.
“I keep saying the same thing. We’re always down and coming from behind,” Fergerson said. “When you’re down, you have to scrap harder, and playing four games in four days, scrapping like that is extremely tough.”
