Dec. 05--Mike Ballard threw a backdoor pass out of bounds, quickly apologized and was given a thumbs-up from Mike Smith.
With considerable experience and scoring punch at every position, Fenwick can afford to keep its cool.
The Friars' touted trio of Ballard, Smith and Jamal Nixon took a back seat to Jacob Keller, who had game-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds as No. 3 Fenwick trailed for most of the first half before rallying for a comfortable 55-46 victory over crosstown rival Oak Park in the opener of the two-day Chicago Elite Classic on Friday night at the UIC Pavilion.
Keller, a 6-foot-2 junior lefty, went 7-for-7 from the field for the Friars (5-0). Fellow returning starter Quinn Fisher scored 12 points and made all four of his shots, and Smith had 16 points and three steals while going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
"My team is giving me the ball, they're trusting me with the ball, and I'm just trying to make plays," Keller said. "We are a team. Everybody is talking about Mike and Mike and Jamal, and it gave me a little fuel that nobody is talking about me to go out there and play hard."
Another unheralded junior, Oak Park's Jared Scott, made a name for himself early.
The 6-5 lefty made plays in the paint and on the perimeter, scoring 11 of his 16 points to stake the Huskies (2-3) to a 22-16 lead midway through the second quarter.
Scott then picked up his second foul and watched from the bench as Fenwick scored the final 12 points of the half to take a 28-22 lead.
Keller, the quarterback of Fenwick's football team, opened the second half with a baseline drive for a layup and closed the quarter with another bucket to give the Friars a 36-29 lead.
"He's probably a point guard, but we have like four point guards so he has to play off the ball because Mike Smith has the ball in his hands a lot," Fenwick coach Rick Malnati said. "He's a freak athlete. He doesn't even know athletic he is. He did a good job playing hard and making other people better, and tonight he got to the rim."
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Jacob Keller, Fenwick, 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-7 FG.
Key performers: Fenwick -- Mike Smith, 16 points, 3 steals; Quinn Fisher, 12 points, 4-4 FG. Oak Park -- Jared Scott, 16 points, 5 rebounds.
