Dec. 29--The Proviso West Holiday Tournament provided Fenwick with a unique opportunity to see how it stacks up against the Chicago area's other top Class 3A teams.
A traditional Class 4A power on the way back up tried not to cooperate.
Unranked Young went toe-to-toe with Fenwick for more than 31 minutes before the No. 3 Friars finally pulled away for a 56-50 quarterfinal victory Monday in Hillside.
Jacob Keller had 23 points (10-12 FGs) and 11 rebounds, and Mike Smith added 21 points and four steals as Fenwick (10-0) earned a spot opposite No. 9 Bogan in Tuesday night's semifinals.
The Friars will compete with Bogan, No. 1 Morgan Park and No. 6 St. Joseph in the 3A playoffs in March.
"They gave us a little scare," Smith said. "Everyone in the gym knew they would give us a little go. They played hard. I feel like that was a great test, one of better teams in CPS, they're well-known.
"They played like Bogan. They pressed, got into you, a lot of guard play. That's a good test if we do advance and Morgan Park and other teams advance. I feel like that will help us to prepare for the ultimate goal."
A collection of promising sophomores and juniors, Young (4-4) led by a point after one quarter, trailed by three at halftime and was even with Fenwick after three quarters.
The Friars' lead was a mere 50-48 with 34 seconds left, but Smith proceeded to make four straight free throws, and fellow senior Mike Ballard added a pair to put it away.
"This was the perfect opponent on the perfect day for us," Fenwick coach Rick Malnati said. "We had to prove something to ourselves, and tomorrow Bogan is another big challenge.
'We've got kids with a lot of heart and a lot of pride, and they hung together tonight. We didn't play great. But Whitney Young deserves credit for making us be sloppy."
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Jacob Keller, Fenwick, 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals.
Key performers: Fenwick -- Mike Smith, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals. Young -- Lucas Williamson, 13 points, 5 rebounds; Xavier Castaneda, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals.
