Fenwick’s Ty Macariola has enjoyed a memorable run at the Chicago Elite Classic against East Avenue rival Oak Park and River Forest High School.
After scoring 20 and 26 points respectively in victories the past two seasons, the senior did it again at University of Illinois Chicago’s Credit Union One Arena on Dec. 6. His game-high 27 points, combined with intense defensive pressure causing numerous turnovers, helped the Friars roll past the Huskies 59-45.
“It’s just a huge rivalry,” Macariola said. “I grew up going to the games, starting in third grade. It’s always a big deal to come and show out in front of all the fans.”
Alex Gossett scored 10 of his team-leading 17 points in the opening quarter to put OPRF (1-3) ahead 14-13.
But trailing 22-18 with 5:17 left in the half, Fenwick (5-1) went on an 11-0 run to take control. Macariola scored 10 points in the second quarter to pace the Friars to a 34-28 halftime lead.
“I want to see if we can play all our games [at UIC],” said Fenwick coach David Fergerson with a laugh. “When we go there, Ty is a true warrior. He’s a senior, and for him to go out like that, it’s awesome. That’s a big-time win for us.”
Fenwick broke the game open in the second half, starting the third quarter with a 10-0 run. The Friars’ defense increased its ball pressure on OPRF, resulting in six consecutive turnovers on the Huskies, who finished with 25 for the evening.
“Coach Ferg has been teaching us to value defense more this year,” Macariola said. “That was something we lacked last year. Our ability to press more has been huge for our success.”
“We try to get after teams, pressure, and eventually wear you down,” Fergerson said. “That’s 25 shots they didn’t get to take, and I’ll take it.”
While Fergerson was happy with the havoc his defense created, OPRF coach Phil Gary wasn’t thrilled with the turnovers.
“That’s how you lose games,” he said. “If we don’t take care of the ball, we won’t win.”
Fenwick led 46-33 after three quarters. Then the Friars began the fourth with a 12-0 run to put things away and send the OPRF Dog Pound student section streaming toward the exit.
Jimmy Watts and Nate Marshall came off the bench to provide valuable contributions. Watts had eight points and four rebounds while Marshall added seven points for the Friars.
“We call that second group ‘The Grit Squad,’” Macariola said. “They come in and take the energy from the first group and multiply it. Last year, we weren’t as deep as we are this year. And whichever sport Nate is playing, you know he’s going to give you energy; it’s huge to have him come off the bench.”
Alex Vincent posted a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds for OPRF, which was held to 36.6 percent field-goal shooting (15-of-41).
“The first 10 minutes, we were giving ourselves a chance, getting the ball to Big Al,” Gary said. “But once they turned the pressure up, we reverted to being careless with the ball. We were trying to get [Gossett and Vincent] the ball, but when you turn over the ball a lot, we can’t do it.”
The Huskies are hoping for a bounce back as soon as possible, but Gary is not throwing in the towel on the season. Not by a long shot.
“We’ll watch film and see where we can get better,” he said.
OPRF has home games this week against Milwaukee School of Languages, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m., and Downers Grove North, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Fenwick looks to keep things rolling with Chicago Catholic League games at St. Rita, Dec. 13 (7 p.m.) and at home versus Mount Carmel, Dec. 17 (7 p.m.).
“We’re thankful we won and no one got hurt,” Fergerson said. “We’ve got to stick with the plan.”