By Dan McGrath
At halftime, the score from Oak Park was Fenwick 28, Keeland Jordan 16, Leo 3.
So when a painful foot injury forced Jordan to the bench, it was pretty obvious where things were headed for the Lions. With Jordan scoreless, they managed just six points in the second half of a turnover-filled, 57-25 thumping at Fenwick on Friday, Feb. 10.
With one senior and three juniors on a sophomore-dominated roster, Fenwick is clearly building for the future, and the Friars (18-12, 7-6 Catholic league) gave an intriguing glimpse of it as sophomores T.J. Pettigrew, Nathaniel Marshall and D.J. Porter combined for 32 points.
Veteran E.J. Hosty, their lone senior, was honored in Senior Night ceremonies, and his teammates collaborated in sending him out memorably by getting him 10 points.
On what was a forgettable night for Leo, Jachi Lewis (4), Christian Scott (3) and Kevin Jackson (2) provided the only points Jordan did not.
The Lions (6-21, 2-10) will close out Catholic League play against St. Rita at Leo on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Jamal Thompson, Leo’s former coach, will be on the Mustangs’ bench as an assistant.
As the state tournament gets under way, Leo has been seeded 10th in the Julian Class 2-A Sectional and will face No. 7 seed Butler College Prep in a first-round regional game on Saturday, Feb. 18. The site and time are to be determined.