OPRF High School basketball player George Gray is a man of few words. The junior, who transferred in from Mount Carmel over the summer, is the type of player who lets his actions speak louder than his words. Yet despite being new to the rivalry with East Avenue neighbor Fenwick, he appreciates what the Huskies’ 51-43 victory over the Friars in the Chicago Elite Classic at UIC’s Credit Union One Arena, Dec. 5, means.
“It was really fun. I think my team played really well, and I’m happy,” said Gray, who finished with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds. “[OPRF] is a perfect fit for me.”
Coach Phil Gary sensed that a breakout game was coming soon from Gray.
“George was amazing tonight. The big stage, he needed to have his good signature play just for his confidence, and I thought he did a really good job,” Gary said.
OPRF (4-1) is counting on its defense to create success this season, and against Fenwick (3-3), the Huskies displayed their tenacity, holding the Friars to 26.9 percent shooting (14-of-52) for the evening. Fenwick made just four first-half baskets as OPRF built up a 26-14 halftime lead.
“That’s our goal every game, to keep teams under a certain amount of points. I thought they did really good in the first half,” Gary said.
The Huskies grew their lead to 14 points in the third quarter, but the Friars, thanks to clutch shooting by Ryan Murray (team-high 14 points), started to chip away, and drew to 39-35 with 4½ minutes remaining. That’s when Gray and Cam Woods (12 points, eight rebounds) hit consecutive three-pointers to stem the tide.
“They went on a little run,” Gray said, “but we all stayed together and composed as a team and were able to pull it out.”
Fenwick’s rally is something Gary feels is a teachable moment for his team that will be brought up in practice this week. But he added that having some experienced seniors proved beneficial down the stretch.
“When you’re up, you tend to take your foot off the gas a little bit. I thought we did that,” he said. “Having seniors is always very helpful. Logan (Johnson) is a senior, Cam’s a senior.”
Johnson had eight points and five rebounds for OPRF. Luke Vonglukiat and Dae’lon Wofford each had seven points for Fenwick, which was missing several players who were part of the football team that won the IHSA Class 6A title last week.
“We came out flat,” said Fenwick coach David Fergerson. “At the end of the day, I tip my hat to (OPRF), they came out and beat us. No complaints, no excuses.”
Among those who sat out are three key members: senior Tommy Thies and juniors Jake Thies and Jimmy Watts. Fergerson is optimistic that once the football players fully get acclimated to basketball, the Friars will be fine.
“It makes it very difficult when you’re missing major players,” he said. “Once I get all my main guys back, we’ll be OK, we’ll be a solid team. We’ll be different than what we are now.”
Moreover, Fergerson believes the experience his younger players received from playing on a big stage like the Chicago Elite Classic will help them going forward not just this season, but upcoming seasons as well.
“That will give them total confidence when they come and be ready to play here next year and moving forward. Most of the time, gyms are not even close to this size,” Fergerson said. “We’re playing for the future.”
Conversely, OPRF now looks to build on the momentum gained by this victory.
“It boosts our confidence,” Gary said. “As a team, they know they can finish a lot better than how they did in the second half, so they’re already excited for practice.”
OPRF hosts York in the home opener, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., before road games at Downers Grove North, Dec. 13, and Niles North, Dec. 15. Fenwick plays at St. Laurence, Dec. 12, before having their home opener versus Aurora Central Catholic, Dec. 16.