If warning signs were as common inside high school basketball gyms as they are on the Dan Ryan Expressway, the placard for the Fenwick boys basketball team would read, “Young Team in Progress.”
While Fenwick would like to shed the label, the Friars’ recent struggles lately haven’t helped the cause. After starting the season out on a good note with a 6-1 record, Fenwick has reversed direction, going 1-6, including two losses last weekend.
Following a Catholic (North) League loss to St. Ignatius on Friday, the Friars fell to Morton in non-conference action on Saturday.
“We have a serious problem scoring,” said Fenwick head coach John Quinn. “We haven’t been able to spark early, and then we come alive in the fourth and try to make up for it, but fall short. There’s no lack of effort there, it’s just the way things turn out for us. We need to do a better job of hitting our shots early.”
Against St. Ignatius, the Friars (7-7, 0-2) scored just 22 points in the first three periods, but then tallied a total of 20 in the final stanza. The late surge was dismissed when Ignatius took advantage of three straight turnovers to eke out the win 45-42.
Larry Walker led the Friars with 11 points, while Ryan Harbour chipped in eight points. Leading scorer Xavier Humphrey, a sophomore, was held to just six points.
In a 60-53 loss to Morton, Humphrey scored 11 of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Friars lost despite nailing nine three-pointers in the game.
Harbour finished with 10 points. Walker and Michael Black both had eights points apiece for Fenwick.
“The good news is except for a few minor aches and pains we’re all healthy,” said Quinn. “We just need to get healthy between the ears.”
The Friars, who will need to get back on track if they hope to grab a high seed in the upcoming state playoffs, travel to Montini tonight and then host Guerin Prep on Friday (7:30 p.m).
