Tired of trash talk, OPRF makes statement win over rival Fenwick

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Oak Park-River Forest was tired of trash talk from Fenwick.

Leading up to Friday's annual neighborhood rivalry game, the Huskies heard all about the five-game losing streak that OPRF had suffered against the Friars. December 11th, 2011 -- the last time the Huskies had defeated Fenwick in boys basketball -- seemed like an eternity ago.

The friendly jawing between local adversaries went back-and-forth on Twitter and SnapChat during the week. Mutual friends between the schools helped escalate a simmering social media feud into a highly-intense on-court battle. Veteran players from both programs even chimed in. Rival schools who are only four blocks apart, it's tough for either side to ignore the chatter coming from the other. 

Though many of the players grew up hooping together at the West Cook YMCA, or as teammates in middle school, those deep connections were thrown out the window when the two neighbors squared off at the UIC Pavilion during the Chicago Elite Classic.

"If you don't have on a blue jersey, you're not my friend. That's what my dad taught me," OPRF senior guard Isaiah Fuller said. "Once you step inside the four corners [of the court], you're not my friend at all."

Armed with extra motivation with the five-game losing streak and a painful overtime loss to the Friars last season, the No. 11 Huskies finally toppled their biggest foe as OPRF knocked off No. 9 Fenwick for a 64-59 win on Friday night.

The win not only snapped the dreaded losing streak for OPRF but it sent a message that the Huskies have one of the deepest and most balanced teams in the area this season.

Fuller set the early tone by knocking down two three-pointers as he finished with a team-high 19 points and six assists, fueling a balanced Husky effort. The quick offensive start from OPRF ignited their orange-clad student section as the Huskies never trailed during Friday's game.

"There was a lot of trash talk coming from their side. So we took it personally," OPRF junior guard Dashon Enoch said. "And we had a lot of guys coming back from last year that had the feeling that we lost and we couldn't lose again. We had to end the streak."

Ending the streak was of the utmost importance to the Huskies, but beating a quality team like Fenwick is the biggest takeaway from this Friday-night thriller. While the Friars deserve credit for never going away and making this a competitive game for the entire 32 minutes, it was OPRF's wave of bodies that kept Fenwick at arm's length.

Playing seven players at least 13 minutes and receiving scoring contributions from eight different guys, the Huskies trusted their bench to come in and provide quality minutes when needed. Junior guard Chase Robinson stepped up his play with nine points while Enoch, reserve guard Sidney Allgood and reserve forward Phil Saleh all chipped in eight points each. 

Considering that junior forward Charlie Hoehne -- perhaps OPRF's best college prospect -- wasn't even in the top five scorers, it's a scary sign of where the Huskies could be if everyone gets rolling.

"Man, it goes up from here. We've got so much potential. So much you don't know about this team. Man, our bench, it's so deep," Enoch said.

Defense was also a huge key for the Huskies as they did a great job of limiting touches for Fenwick sophomore star D.J. Steward. After torching defending Class 4A champion Whitney Young for 31 points last Sunday, Steward was held to only 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting as junior Damari Nixon paced the Friars with 18 points.  

"Me and D.J., we go to the West Cook YMCA a lot. He went to my middle school. So we've been playing since I was in eighth grade and he was in seventh grade," Enoch said.

"D.J. is still my guy. You might not be able to tell it on the court, but that's my guy. He has a bright future."

Now 5-0 on the young season, OPRF has put themselves in position to earn a quality seed at the loaded Pontiac Holiday Tournament later this month if the Huskies can win against Lyons and Glenbard West the next few weeks. Favored to win both of those games, OPRF could be sitting in the top ten in the area Power Rankings for a good chunk of time.

The win over rival Fenwick will certainly be memorable for OPRF. The Huskies are hoping to make even more memories deep into March after a solid run to a Class 4A sectional title game last season.

"We can only go up from here. Don't look back and don't stay content with this win. We have to keep moving forward," Fuller said.

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