Boys basketball rivals Fenwick and Oak Park crossed paths during the regular season on Thursday night for the first time since 1997, and the result was as electric as crossed wires. In a high-voltage match-up, powered by the standing-room-only crowd in Fenwick’s 1,000-seat Field House, it was Oak Park with more spark as the Huskies handed the Friars a 58-44 loss.
From the start, the Huskies (10-1) seemed to holster the frenetic energy in the building, leaping off to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes of action. Oak Park eventually built the advantage to 13-0 until Xavier Humphrey powered in a jumper with four minutes left in the stanza. Daniel Barnes led the Huskies in the opening quarter, scoring eight points.
Turnovers plagued Fenwick (6-2) early, but the Friars looked as though they were going to get a lift when Matt Condron came off the bench to bucket a jumper and close the first quarter with his team trailing by eight. But Oak Park’s energy didn’t let up in the second quarter. Humphrey was held to just four points in the first half, but the sophomore found some breathing room in the third. He scored nine points as the Friars briefly came to within seven. In the fourth, Fenwick wasn’t able to break a 10-point difference, and Humphrey finished with 16 points.
Fenwick will need to regroup fast as the Friars enter into the highly-competitive Proviso West Holiday tournament against Hillcrest on Dec. 27 (7 p.m.). Hillcrest is ranked 10th in the state with an 8-1 record. A Fenwick victory would have the Friars playing at 8:30 p.m. on the 28th. A loss would have them playing at 1:45 p.m.
Brad Spencer