Fenwick falls behind early, can’t catch up in Class 3A sectional final loss to St. Patrick

CHICAGO – Coming into Friday’s Class 3A Little Village Sectional final against St. Patrick, Fenwick had every reason to feel confident. The Friars had played excellent postseason defense, allowing a total of 56 points over three games.

But St. Patrick senior Anthony Favia put Fenwick in an early hole, scoring 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first quarter.

While the Friars kept fighting back, they ultimately couldn’t complete the rally and ended their season with a 54-44 defeat. St. Patrick advances to the UIC Supersectional on Monday against Mount Carmel.

“The slow start killed us,” Fenwick coach David Fergerson said. “We got it together, but it was just a little bit too late.”

Besides Favia’s hot start, a right ankle injury to senior Nate Marshall hurt Fenwick’s cause. He twisted it late in the first quarter after grabbing a rebound and was helped off the court. He did not return.

“I never would’ve dreamed that,” Fergerson said of losing Marshall, a Michigan football signee. “He’s one of my toughest kids. I knew it’d be really challenging without him, but our guys fought hard and we played to the best of our ability.”

Fenwick (23-11) trailed at halftime 30-17, but Ty Macariola (10 points, all in the second half) hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter to keep the Friars in the contest. With Marshall out, Fergerson turned to 6-foot-7 junior reserve forward Michael McMahon, and he scored a pair of baskets on his own offensive rebounds.

“Mike did good for us. He played his butt off,” Fergerson said.

Then trailing 40-29 at the start of the fourth quarter, Fenwick went on a 7-1 run, which was sparked by Dominick Ducree with nine of his team-high 12 points in the final eight minutes. The spurt energized the Friars' faithful and cut St. Patrick’s lead to 41-36 with five minutes remaining.

“They played their hearts out in the fourth quarter,” Fergerson said. “They left it all on the floor and showed their Friar pride.”

However, Maurice Neeley of St. Patrick came off the bench to score five consecutive points over the next minute, giving the Shamrocks a 46-36 advantage.

Fenwick made a final push and trailed 48-44 with 50 seconds to play. After St. Pat’s RJ McPartlin missed a pair of free throws, Macariola grabbed the rebound, and the Friars had a golden opportunity to draw closer.

But back-to-back turnovers were costly, and Nevaeh Hawkins and Favia each hit two free throws – with Hawkins adding a basket at the buzzer – to seal the game.

Ducree, Macariola and Marshall are among seven Fenwick players departing due to graduation. But with the likes of sophomores Jake Thies and Jimmy Watts and juniors McMahon (six points, three rebounds, one block) and Tommy Thies (five points) returning, the Friars should have a good foundation to build around.

“The seniors set the example for the next group of guys,” Fergerson said. “We’ve got to regroup, let this sink in for a little bit, and then we’ll get prepared for next year.”