Fenwick knows it’s not overrated, and the Friars love a challenge.
So when they heard St. Laurence fans’ pregame chant Wednesday, the No. 2 Friars felt like proving a point. They jumped to leads of 14 points after one quarter and 28 at halftime and defeated the Vikings 71-51 in a Catholic League semifinal at St. Joseph in Westchester.
“What really got us going was they were cheering ‘overrated’ before the game even started,” said Fenwick’s Jacob Keller, who scored a game-high 15 points. “So that’s what got us fueled up to get steals and finish off the steals.”
Keller was one of five Fenwick players who scored 10 or more points, with Quinn Fisher adding 12. The Friars will play No. 9 St. Joseph in Saturday’s 5 p.m. championship at DePaul’s McGrath-Phillips Arena.
The Friars (23-2) forced eight turnovers in the first half, leading to 12 points. Fisher’s steal and layup with 5 minutes, 29 seconds left in the first quarter started a rash of thefts against St. Laurence (14-13).
The Friars played without their second-leading scorer, Mike Ballard, who sprained an ankle in the second half of Sunday’s quarterfinal against Leo. Ballard is expected to return in about a week.
Bob Hurst is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Jacob Keller, Fenwick, 15 points, 6 assists, 4 steals.
Key performers: Fenwick — Quinn Fisher, 12 points, 4 steals; Mike Smith, 11 points; Jay Militello, 11 points; Jamal Nixon, 10 points. St. Laurence — Brett Risley, 14 points; Chris Carli, 14 points.