Riverside-Brookfield Edges OPRF in Regional Final, 67-62

Even at the elementary-school basketball levels, the three-pointer holds an almost irresistible allure. Swishing a shot from 20 or 25 feet out can ignite fans, build momentum, and turn close games into blowouts.

Not to be overlooked, however, is the simple free throw—taken from the same spot, 15 feet directly in front of the basket, and without any defensive resistance.

On Friday evening on their home court, the Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs employed that modest, point-by-point method to defeat Oak Park and River Forest in a Class 4A Regional title game.

After entering the fourth quarter in a 50-50 deadlock with the Huskies, the Bulldogs made 15 of 16 free throw tries in the final period, including their last 15 consecutively. Eight came in the final 36 seconds. The parade to the foul line began when OPRF, down 59-58 and sensing R-B was looking to dribble out the clock, began fouling to get chances on offense.

Though R-B made only one two-point field goal over that eight-minute span, their charity-stripe marksmanship secured the 67-62 victory.

By contrast, the Huskies were 7-for-13 from the line overall, including 6 of 9 in the final period, said OPRF Coach Phil Gary.

“Making layups, free throws, taking care of the basketball—the team that does that the best usually wins the game,” Gary said. “We missed some shots around the hoop, and they made free throws down the stretch."

The Bulldogs led 16-12 after one quarter before OPRF surged ahead, 26-23. R-B closed the half with 10 consecutive points to take a 33-26 halftime lead. OPRF outscored R-B, 24-17, in the third period to draw even.

For the Huskies, junior guard Sam Lewis notched 21 points, while senior guard Justin Mullins had 17 points and junior guard Christian Marshall added 12. Among other key contributors was junior forward Rodney Murphy, who pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and senior guard Roscoe Cadwell, whose five points in the third quarter included a three-pointer that narrowed the Bulldog lead to 45-43.

Cadwell's subsequent steal led to a Lewis layup that knotted the score at 45. Lewis later capped a strong third quarter with a three-pointer that tied the game at 50 with a few seconds left in the period.

The lead see-sawed in the final frame. Huskie senior forward Keaghan Elmiger’s fourth-quarter contributions included knocking down a three-pointer that tied the game at 55, then drawing a charge on R-B senior Joe Gilhooley 15 seconds later. With the score tied at 57, the Bulldogs took the lead for good when senior Joevonn McCottry made a sprawling, acrobatic layup with two minutes to go.

For R-B, senior Gilhooley led the way with 24 points. Sophomore Will Gonzalez scored 14, while McCottry (12) and JP Hanley (10) also attained double digits.

R-B, which beat OPRF 73-66 earlier in the season, is now 23-5 and advances to the Sectional semifinals against the sectional top-seed Whitney Young High School. That contest is 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1st at Proviso West High School.

The loss dropped ORPF to 16-11 for the season. After a 9-9 start to the campaign, the Huskies won seven of their next eight games, including a dominant 76-47 rout of Jones College Prep two evenings earlier in the opening round of the Class 4A Regional.

“The last part of the season we got better,” said Gary. “The guys weren’t ready for the season to end."

He praised the players and coaching staff, not only at the varsity level, but the freshman and sophomore teams, for responding well throughout the second season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weekly saliva testing occasionally sidelined various players at all levels, and though the masks typically dangled below their mouths when they were in action, players were required to wear them in a fast-paced sport that can frequently leave even the most well-conditioned athletes gasping for breath.

“They were dealing with a lot,” Gary noted. “I give a lot of credit to our players, and all our coaches, too.”

The OPRF Freshman A team was 5-9, and the B team was 11-3. The sophomore team—without top player Oscar “Max” Johnson, who played on varsity—won nine games and lost 14. The varsity assistant coaches are Dominique Ferguson and Rob Logan, the sophomore coaches are Max Sakellaris and Kevin Honn, and the freshmen coaches are John Kirsch, Mike Carmody and Jason Gant.

To see a replay of the game, go to this video produced by RBTV — Riverside Brookfield High School.