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player ready...Fenwick’s Mike Ballard has a routine during game week and on game days to keep his 3-point shooting sharp.
The program paid off on Friday, Feb. 12, when Ballard hit four first-quarter 3-pointers during Fenwick’s Chicago Catholic League tournament opener against Marmion.
Ballard (25 points) would add two more from long distance, while leading the Friars to an 84-63 victory in Oak Park.
“Mainly, (my routine is) just getting shots up every day in practice whenever I can,” Ballard said. “Pregame is important. I try to get my rhythm going. I never end pregame without making a couple of shots in a row.”
A hot start benefits the senior guard, as well as his teammates.
“(Shooting well) at the beginning of the game, it will get my confidence going,” Ballard said. “On top of that, if I make more than two (shots) off the start, the defense is going to close out on me hard. They are going to be sticking on me and leaving open lanes for my teammates.”
Marmion (11-14) not only had to deal with Ballard, but Mike Smith also found his shooting groove early for the Friars (21-2).
Smith (15 points) knocked down his first four 3-point attempts in the first quarter, when Fenwick opened a 30-16 lead. The Cadets tried both man-to-man and zone defenses to stop top-seeded Fenwick.
“Honestly, we have not had too many games this year when we were both that on from the 3-point line,” Ballard said. “When we are both like that, I do not think there is a team in the State that can beat us.
“When teams go zone, Mike and I look at each other and say, ‘Let’s just shoot them out of the zone.’ Once we shoot them out of it, it opens up the lanes even more.”
When Ballard and Smith are both clicking, it makes decisions even easier for senior guard Quinn Fisher.
“Mike and Mike can always make shots, so you just have to find them on the perimeter,” Quinn said. “If you get them open looks, they can always knock them down.
“We make it a point of emphasis to drive in the middle (of the lane). If the threes are there, obviously we will take them. We are trying to get in the paint and read the defense.”
Smith and Ballard combined to hit 10 of 13 three-pointers in the first half, when Fenwick opened a 45-23 lead.
“They were shooting open shots; we did not take very many bad shots in the first half,” Fenwick assistant coach Staunton Peck said. “Mike Ballard is one of the best shooters in the state. If he gets that many open shots, he is bound to make a few. He has really been on a tear lately.”
Peck was filling in for Friars coach Rick Malnati. While Malnati will get credited with career win 300, he missed the game to attend his son’s Senior Night game at New Trier.
Fenwick defeated Leo 69-56 on Feb. 13, to advance to face St. Laurence in the Catholic League semifinals on Feb. 17. The winner plays in the league championship game on Feb. 20 at DePaul University.
Patrick Kelly is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.