The Fenwick High School boys and girls basketball teams each went 2-2 over the holidays. Here’s a recap of their respective tournaments:
Fenwick boys
At the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic hosted by York, the Friars split their four games. While head coach Dave Fergerson hoped to make it to the final day of the five-day tournament, he was pleased with the progress made by his team.
“Playing in the Jack Tosh, if you can break even and go 2-2, that’s a solid outing,” Fergerson said. “Obviously, we’d have loved to be 3-1 and get to [the final day], but it was a really good tournament.”
In the tournament opener, Dec. 26, Fenwick (6-8) fell to Perspectives-Leadership 65-52. Corey Griffin led the Friars with 10 points, while Garrett McNally, Jake Thies, and Jimmy Watts each added nine points.
Fenwick then won back-to-back games in the consolation bracket. On Dec. 27, the Friars edged South Elgin 68-63 in overtime, and on Dec. 29, they defeated Conant 61-57. Griffin led the way with 14 points. Raphiel Stewart added 12, and Thies and Watts each had 11.
Fergerson saluted the play of Griffin, a freshman, following the South Elgin victory.
“I know what Corey can do. I trust him, and he delivered like I knew he would,” he said.
Against Conant, Watts had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds, and Thies added 13 points. Griffin, Stewart, Thies, and Watts are among seven players who joined basketball late due to their participation in the football team’s state championship run. Fergerson feels that they’ve gotten their basketball conditioning back.
“That’s super-important. Everyone’s had their whole team the whole season,” he said. “We’re starting a little bit late, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
In the semifinals of the consolation bracket, Dec. 30, Fenwick faced York. The Dukes’ Joseph Lubbe hit a three-pointer with 1:25 left in regulation to break a 42-42 tie, and York held on to defeat the Friars 49-47. Thies had nine points while Griffin and Kayonta Williams each had eight.
“We fell a little short at the beginning of the game and you’ve got to put together four quarters,” Fergerson said. “It was a tough loss. Overall, I thought we played OK. We always want to be better than we were the day before, and I thought we did that. We’ve still got some work to do, some growing to do.”
Fenwick hosts Brother Rice, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m., then meets Romeoville at the St. Ignatius Shootout, Jan. 10.
Fenwick girls
Like the boys, the girls went 2-2 over the holidays, finishing sixth at the Komaromy Charger Classic at Dundee-Crown.
“We definitely played some solid competition, which helps show our weaknesses and struggles, stuff we need to work on,” said Fenwick coach Lenae Fergerson. “[But] 2-2 is pretty solid.”
In the opener, Dec. 26, Fenwick (5-9) defeated Buffalo Grove 56-49. Avani Williams had a game-high 23 points and five steals, Cammie Molis 15 points, and Eleanor Gibson six points, eight assists, and five steals.
The following day, the Friars lost to eventual tournament champion Naperville Central 56-46. Williams had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Alex Purta had 11 points and five rebounds.
Fenwick got back into the win column, Dec. 29, with a 51-44 victory over Mundelein. Molis led with 26 points and Gibson added eight points. In the fifth-place game against Hononegah, Dec. 30, the Friars fell 61-37.
“We’re disappointed with how we played that last game, digging a hole like that,” Fergerson said. “We came out and won the second half; had we played that way in the first half it could’ve been a different outcome.”
Molis and Williams were named to the All-Tournament team. Williams averaged 14.8 points and seven rebounds per game, and Molis 12.2 points per game.
“Avani and Cammie, we’re working on getting them to play consistently better and you can add Eleanor to that group,” Fergerson said. “We’re still missing two key post players: Lucy McAllister, who’s been out since the Kenwood game, and Zoe (Dray) for like a month. Once we get those two back, they’ll help us with our inside presence and scoring.”
Despite the rough way the tournament ended, Fergerson feels the Friars are trending in the right direction as the season goes into the second half.
“It’s a lot of growth,” she said. “I’m excited, as are the players.”
Following a home game against Trinity, Jan. 6 (after deadline), Fenwick hosts Leyden, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m.
