Boys Basketball: Oak Park’s bench battles back to top Fenwick

Updated: December 20, 2011 10:03PM

For the second consecutive time, an Oak Park-River Forest post player came off the bench to keep the Huskies’ win streak alive.

Virgil Allen, a 6-foot-9 junior, scored six points in the second half, but his back-to-back baskets in the fourth quarter were enough to lead the Huskies to a 57-45 nonconference victory at in-town rival Fenwick, which lost for the fourth time in its last five games. The two Oak Park schools met for the first time in three years.

Senior Gabe Levin led OPRF (8-1) with 17 points and eight rebounds and Alex Nesnidal had 12 points on four three-pointers, but the win belonged to the bench. Allen didn’t play in the first half and backup point guard Darrius Williams also scored all six of his points in the second half. Williams’ first basket, a three-pointer, beat the buzzer to end the third quarter and gave the Huskies a 41-36 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

Allen’s layup and 10-foot turnaround jumper midway through the fourth quarter gave OPRF a 49-41 lead. In Saturday’s win over Hinsdale Central, 6-7 Tacourrus Mattox came through with 15 points as a reserve.

“I was doing my job as a big man,” Allen said. “We got the win. That’s all that matters is that the team won. My little man, Darrius, with the three ball; he helped me.”

Samuel Ainsworth (10 rebounds) scored 19 points and Luke Lattner added 12 points, but the Friars (3-5) did not make a basket in the final 4:22. OPRF ended the game with eight free throws.

Fenwick struggled in the second and fourth quarters with only two baskets in each period. Lattner made the first basket in the second quarter, but then the Friars went over five minutes before scoring another basket. Amazingly, the teams were tied at 27 at halftime.

“That’s been our game all year when you play five sophomores and three juniors,” Fenwick coach John Quinn said. “You get moments when we play really well and you get moments where we struggle.”

The Friars went on a 10-1 run to lead 16-12 to end the first quarter, but then OPRF scored 10 consecutive points early in the second quarter while taking advantage of steals off a half-court trap defense.

“Virgil was huge. Virgil and Darrius were the MVPs tonight,” OPRF coach Matt Maloney said. “Virgil off the bench put us in the game. We needed baskets and we needed energy.”

The Huskies received a dose of good news recently as Bradley-bound guard Ka’Darryl Bell had the cast removed from his right wrist and will begin rehab this week. He injured the wrist in a loss against Downers Grove South Dec. 3, but the Huskies have won four consecutive games without him.

Fenwick’s next game is against No. 14 New Trier (9-1) at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 27 in the opening round of the Proviso West Holiday tournament.

OPRF will likely be without Bell for the Pontiac tournament with torn ligaments in his right wrist, which begins at 9 p.m. Dec. 27 against St. Charles North, which features guard Quinten Payne.

“The Pontiac tournament is the oldest and best tournament in the state. They operate a first – class tournament and the town shuts down for the tournament,” Maloney said. ‘Everyone attends the games and the community supports the teams. We will stay three days and two nights. We always have some great laughs and stories when we come back from Pontiac. It is often the highlight of the year. I still remember my Pontiac experience as a player fondly.

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