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Girls Basketball: Fenwick races past St Charles North
| Andrew A. Nelles~For Sun-Times Media |
Updated: December 26, 2011 4:46PM
You have to pay attention when watching the Fenwick girls basketball team. If you blink you might miss something. Maybe multiple somethings.
The Friars are running a helter-skelter offense based on the system used by the men’s team at Grinnell College, a Division III school in Iowa. It features plenty of running and gunning, with the Friars averaging up to three shots per minute.
Fenwick used it to great effect Monday against St. Charles North, overcoming a slow start to cruise to an 80-56 victory in the opening round of the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic.
“The first time I saw it was in 2005-06 when my daughter brought home a videotape,” Fenwick coach Dave Power said. “We tried it a few seasons early and then abandoned it. This year I decided we’re going to do it no matter what.”
Though it sometimes results in leaky defense and high-scoring losses, the Friars (10-3) love the new system, in which everybody gets playing time, sometimes by the end of the first quarter.
“It’s a really fun offense to be a part of,” Fenwick senior center Meredith Boardman said. “You’re going, going, going all the time and you don’t really have time to think about the last play or a mistake you did. So it gives us some resilience so we can bounce back if we make a mistake.
“We’re really kind of working on going in and out, hitting the open players, hitting the hot hand. So basically it’s kind of a free-form offense but we have rules, so if we abide by the rules we can do anything within it.”
The 6-1 Boardman, a Yale recruit, scored a game-high 25 points to go with seven rebounds and two steals in just 14 minutes of play as Power made wholesale substitutions as if he was a hockey coach changing lines.
Twelve of Boardman’s points came in the second quarter when the Friars outscored St. Charles North 31-7 to take a 41-19 lead. The North Stars (4-8) led 12-10 after the first quarter by taking advantage of Fenwick’s 3-for-20 shooting from the floor, but withered under a relentless full-court press that forced 33 turnovers.
“They put so many numbers in the backcourt that you can see they’re athletic,” St. Charles North coach Colleen Brennan said. “If you don’t protect the ball they’re going to come up with it.”
When they do, a shot will soon follow. The Friars attempted 85 shots against the North Stars, which wasn’t even a season high. They made 30 baskets, including 10 three-pointers, continuing to fire away even after extending their lead to as many 32 points early in the fourth quarter.
“The amount of shots they get off in a game are unbelievable,” Brennan said. “When they make them they’re a hard team to beat. You have to give them credit. They shot the heck out of the ball [in the second quarter].”
Despite the loss, Brennan was pleased with her team’s effort.
“We did a lot of good things,” she said. “Even at the end, they had their five strongest players out there and we were breaking their press when we worked together.”
Natalie Winkates had 14 points and Jerica Balousek nine points and nine rebounds for St. Charles North. Fenwick had 11 players score, with Maggie Reilly tallying 17 points and four steals. Jade Owens chipped in nine points, six boards, five assists and three steals for the Friars, who intend to continue their high-octane play.
“Some nights we’re not hitting and it’s ugly,” Power said. “Other nights we’re hitting and people are like, ‘My God, that was spectacular.’”
Fenwick will play Maine West in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Maine West (4-10) upset Prospect 54-53 as Ashley Collins made two free throws with one second left.
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