Justin Bowen’s 3-pointer with two seconds left gave Oak Park and River Forest High School a 58-55 boys basketball victory over Glenbrook South in the Huskies’ home opener on Dec. 9.
“It was a big win,” said OPRF coach Phil Gary. “We’ve beaten two [Chicago Sun-Times] top 20 teams this year, so that’s good.”
It was the second game-winning basket this season for Bowen, who finished with 14 points. Alex Gossett led the Huskies (4-3) with 23 points and eight rounds, while Max Johnson added 12 points and seven assists.
“This can help our confidence tremendously as we head into more conference play this week and then into the Pontiac Holiday Tournament [Dec. 28-30],” Gary said. “It can do wonders.”
The Glenbrook South victory was a nice recovery for OPRF, which dropped its West Suburban Conference Silver Division opener 74-64 in overtime at Lyons Township on Dec. 6. Gossett had 16 points and eight rebounds, Joe Halper 15 points, Johnson 12, Bowen 11, and Jerome Delaney 8.
“We missed a couple of free throws down the stretch we should’ve made,” said Gary of the LT loss. “Our guys were a little upset because they felt they gave the game away.”
OPRF hosts Hinsdale Central in WSC Silver play, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m., then meets Lincoln Park in the Ville Heritage Shootout in Romeoville, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.
Fenwick boys
Fenwick notched a pair of Chicago Catholic League victories last week.
On Dec. 5, the Friars (6-2) defeated host Marmion Academy, 38-22. Nate Marshall led Fenwick with 14 points, while Dom Ducree and Kam Hogan each added eight points.
Then on Dec. 8 in the home opener, Ducree had a game-high 18 points as the Friars rolled to a 53-37 win over St. Rita. Ty Macariola added nine points.
Following a home game versus St. Laurence, Dec. 12 (after press time), Fenwick faces host Romeoville at the Ville Heritage Shootout. Tip is scheduled for 8:20 p.m.
WJ had a special guest photographer in sports this past weekend: Maxine Kreiter, an OPRF sophomore. We welcome her to these pages!
Fenwick girls
With just one returning starter in senior guard Grace Kapsch, it figured that the Fenwick girls would encounter early difficulties this season.
So far, that has proven to be the case as the Friars are still looking for their first victory. On Dec. 5, Fenwick (0-9) fell to visiting Providence Catholic 55-38. Sophomore guard Heaven Lee had a team-high 11 points, and junior center Claire Murphy had 10 points and seven rebounds.
“We’ve got three sophomores out there who don’t have much varsity experience and it’s taking time for them to adjust to this level,” said Fenwick coach Lenae Fergerson after the game. “They’ve shown what they’re capable of doing, but they have to be able to do it on a consistent basis.”
At the Marian Catholic Christmas Tournament on Dec. 9, Fenwick lost both games: 42-38 to St. Laurence, then 52-43 to Bloom. In the St. Laurence loss, Kapsch had a team-high 13 points and sophomore guard Cammie Mollis had nine points.
Fergerson knows starting the season winless is not ideal. But she also realizes that there’s plenty of time to turn things around, especially as her younger players continue to gain experience.
“It’s not fun and doesn’t look the greatest,” she said. “But we’re going to keep fighting, and how we’re playing come January and February is what’s most important.”
Fenwick returns to Marian Catholic, Dec. 16, for two more games to conclude the tournament.
Strong start for OPRF wrestling
OPRF had a strong weekend, winning three of their four matches to improve to 7-2 this year. On Dec. 8, the Huskies rolled past visiting Lyons Township, 50-21, to raise their WSC Silver record to 2-0. The following day at the OPRF Dual Tournament, OPRF defeated Neuqua Valley 54-20 and Riverside-Brookfield 50-19, but dropped a close match to DeKalb 35-29.
The Huskies will compete in the Red Whitlatch Invitational at Hinsdale Central, Dec. 15-16.