There is definitely going to be a void at the forward position for Oak Park-River Forest in the wake of the Huskies’ 73-55 loss to Young in the Class 4A Proviso East Sectional final Friday.
Seniors Cameron Gross and Jared Scott have played on varsity since their sophomore years, when Scott moved up from the sophomore team to join Gross midway through the season.
“They have been tremendous,” Huskies coach Matt Maloney said. “Their leadership, their ability to do so much on the court, their ability to shoot it, handle against pressure and score inside, their versatility.
“Off the court, those are the nicest kids. We get compliments all the time from teachers. They are really just a great role model for our younger guys, to see how you approach not only your academics with basketball … it gives a lot of our young guys a chance to see where their growth can be and what they have to do to reach that sort of level.”
Gross led the fourth-seeded Huskies (24-7) against second-seeded Young with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Scott had 10 points and junior Isaiah Fuller finished with 11 points. OPRF entered Friday’s game coming off a dramatic overtime win in the sectional semifinals against defending state champion Curie.
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While Gross and Scott have become a formidable duo in the frontcourt for Oak Park-River Forest, they have also developed a bond off the court.
“It means a lot because Jared and I have been playing together since freshman year,” Gross said. “We became best friends. We go out to eat, we scout games, we stay at each other’s houses and play video games. So, I am blessed to have him as a teammate, brother and my best friend.”
Against the Dolphins (24-7), Gross tried to carry the Huskies early when they built an 18-17 lead after the first quarter. He had seven points and five boards in the opening period and was also instrumental in breaking pressure from the Dolphins.
“I had to step up as a senior leader and did not want to go out bad,” Gross said. “I wanted to go out strong.”
The Huskies committed 11 turnovers in the second quarter, when Young took a 39-29 halftime lead and did not trail again.
“They just got us out of a rhythm, they took us out of what we wanted to do,” Maloney said. “It shows why they are this good, and why they had some big wins. They speed things up and get you out of your comfort zone.”
Despite the loss of Gross, Scott and senior guard Kelton Pickett, the Huskies will have experienced players back next season.
Fuller, junior Malachi Ross and sophomore Charlie Hoehne all saw significant minutes against Young.
“Charlie got some big-time minutes today,” Maloney said. “He played great, with nine points off the bench.
“Malachi has a chance to be really good for us next year, and Isaiah made more growth than most people I have coached from last year to this year. It is a pleasure to see how far he has come and I know the way he works, he is going to be at another level next year.”
Patrick Kelly is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press