Entering the start of the IHSA Class 3A state tournament, the Fenwick boys basketball team wanted to reestablish its defensive identity, which had declined down the stretch of the regular season. Two games into the postseason, that is exactly what the Friars have done, allowing just 29 points combined.
“Coach [David Fergerson] has been stressing to go back to our old defense from the beginning of the season,” Fenwick guard Ty Macariola said after Fenwick’s 50-20 victory over Prosser in the Fenwick Regional final, Feb. 28. “Through the end of the season, we felt we lagged a little bit, so during practice we’ve been focusing on helping out and boxing out.”
Fenwick (22-11) held Prosser to just five baskets the entire game enroute to winning its fifth consecutive regional title. Fergerson feels the Friars can still reach another level as the playoffs progress.
“I don’t know if that’s enough to get us to Champaign [state finals site], where we want to go,” he said. “We’re still a work in progress, but we were much better this week.”
Against Prosser, Jake Thies led Fenwick with eight points. Jack O’Leary had seven points and six rebounds, while Kam Hogan and Conrad Sperry added six points apiece.
“That’s really important to have a balanced attack,” Fergerson said. “That way, you can’t just focus on one guy.”
In the regional semifinal versus Golder, Feb. 26, Deonte Meeks poured in a career-high 43 points in the Friars’ 92-9 victory. The quality of competition greatly increases in the sectionals, so Fergerson knows it’s important for his team to keep improving.
“Every level as you move closer [to the finals], you’ve got to be better,” he said. “We’ve got to be much better the next game than we were tonight.”
Macariola, honored in a pre-game ceremony for surpassing 1,000 career points, said playing together and trusting each other will be the keys to winning this week’s Little Village Sectional. He also took time to briefly acknowledge his achievement while keeping his eyes on the big picture.
“It’s super-cool. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Macariola said. “Every single day, we come to practice and give 100 percent. But I’m really more focused on the sectional.”
Fenwick, the top seed at Little Village, faced Payton Prep in a semifinal, March 4, after deadline. The winner meets Little Village or St. Patrick for the sectional title, March 7.
OPRF
Oak Park and River Forest (10-17) dug a deep early hole in its 4A regional semifinal at Highland Park, Feb. 26, and couldn’t recover in a season-ending 57-41 defeat.
“We didn’t come out aggressive and let their guard [Simon Moschin, game-high 32 points] have his way with us,” said OPRF coach Phil Gary. “We came out more aggressive in the second half, but you’ve got to play almost flawless basketball when you dig yourself a hole.”
In their high school finales, OPRF seniors Alex Gossett and Alex Vincent, both West Suburban Silver All-Conference members, had solid efforts. Vincent recorded his 18th double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Gossett added 14 points.
“I’m gonna miss those guys,” Gary said. “They’re not only good players, they’re also good kids with great parents, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach. They gave everything to the program.”
Moreover, Gossett and Vincent achieved in the classroom as both made the WSC-All Academic Team along with six other Huskies: seniors Finn Hackett, Mateo Heidkamp-Pimentel, Andre Stanton, John Summers, Matt Winkelhake, and Andrew Zhou.
“Our record wasn’t the best, but those kids worked their butt off, both on and off the floor,” Gary said. “We have five guys with grade-point averages over 4.0, which is incredible.”
OPRF is scheduled to return nine players next season, including sophomore AJ Enyia and juniors Jerome Delaney, Matthew Halper, Logan Johnson, Acoya King, Johnny Nelson, and Cameron Woods, all of whom either started or saw significant playing time.
“We’ve got some nice core pieces coming back,” Gary said. “Our record is what it is, but we’re going to keep working as a staff to get these guys to work extremely hard and be prepared for next year.”