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the new lenox patriot | December 12, 2019 | 45
Boys Basketball
7
Shorthanded Providence battles hard in loss to Fenwick
Sean Hastings, Editor
Providence was without
eight of its regular players
when it took on Fenwick
in its home opener Dec. 3.
Two of those players
were dealing with injuries
and six were on Kairos, a
mandatory religious retreat.
Those players left on
Tuesday and were set to
return Friday, Dec. 6.
Even without much of
the team, the energized
Celtics hung around with
Fenwick until the end, but
ultimately lost 58-47.
“They played their butts
off,” coach Kyle Murphy
said. “We gave them everything
we had. Joe [Alfirevich]
was unbelievable.”
Alfirevich was one
of the two regular starters
and three players that
get rotating minutes who
played against Fenwick.
He scored 28 points — 10
in the fourth quarter. He
was also 13-of-15 from the
free-throw line.
“I think he is severely
underrated and I don’t
think many people know
about him, but people are
going to start knowing
about him,” Murphy said.
“He was the top scorer in
the WJOL tournament,
he kept getting the ball to
the basket. He never had a
break except in the last 20
seconds when I pulled him
out.
“What’s crazy is that
it’s not just offense, he’s
great on defense. He’s just
relentless. He has a motor
like no one I’ve ever
seen. He never gives up
and never backs down.
He went toe-to-toe with
[Bryce] Hopkins, who is
one of the best players
we’ll see all year.”
Hopkins had 22 points.
Trey Pettigrew also had 22
for the Friars.
Offensively for the Celtics
(3-2), Jack Ruddy had
eight points, Keith Mc-
Clelland had seven and
Justin Janowski had four
and Luke Denny had one.
After the first game of
the season, Murphy said
the Celtics’ backbone has
to be their defense.
Murphy was pleased
with how the team played
on that end of the floor.
“It was a full team effort,”
Murphy said. “We
played a 2-3 zone, we rebounded
the heck out of
the ball and we battled.”
And for all of the game
except for three stretches,
that was the case. Fenwick
ended a strange first quarter
— one that included
eight combined three
pointers and just one threepoint
play by the Friars —
on a 6-0 run.
That run bled into the
start of the second quarter
where Fenwick started on
a 7-0 run. The Friars then
went on an 8-0 run to begin
the second half.
“Our thing is ‘we don’t
give up easy baskets,’”
Murphy said. “It’s offensive
rebounds, turnovers,
limiting the fastbreak
points, we want to make
them work for everything.
Coach Kyle Murphy talks to the Celtics during a timeout in Providence’s homeopening
loss to Fenwick, Dec. 3. The Celtics were without eight of their usual players
for that game. Sean Hastings/22nd Century Media
For the most part we did
that. We had a lot of guys
that don’t play any minutes
or get in the rotation, but I
think we made up for a lot
by playing with heart.”
The Celtics opened the
season with a second-place
finish at the WJOL tournament.
And through five games
in Murphy has liked what
he has seen from the Celtics.
“I like our intensity, I like
our defensive mindset, like
I said, our defense is our
backbone and these guys
believe that and they’ve
bought into it,” Murphy
said. “I’m hoping that
carries through throughout
the rest of the season.
If we can do that, we’ll
hang around. The Catholic
League is, I think, the best
conference in the state, and
if we play defense like we
did tonight, we’re going to
hang around in games and
give ourselves a chance to
win.”
This Week In
KNIGHTS VARSITY
ATHLETICS
BOYS BASKETBALL
■Dec. ■ 13 – at Homewood-
Flossmoor, 7 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – hosts
Bolingbrook, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
■Dec. ■ 12 – at Homewood-
Flossmoor, 6:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – hosts
Bolingbrook, 5 p.m.
BOYS BOWLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – hosts Lockport
at Laraway Lanes, 4:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – Sandburg Invite
at Orland Bowl, 8 a.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – Sandburg at
Orland Bowl, 4:30 p.m.
GIRLS BOWLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – Sandburg at
Orland Bowl, 4:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – Plainfield North
Invite at Town and Country,
9 a.m.
■Dec. ■ 17 – hosts
Bolingbrook at Laraway
Lanes, 4:30 p.m.
CHEERLEADING
■Dec. ■ 15 – at Stevenson
Invite, 8 a.m.
BOYS SWIMMING
■Dec. ■ 12 – at LW East, 5
p.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – hosts Andrew,
5 p.m.
WRESTLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – hosts
Sandburg, 5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 13 – at LW West, 5
p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – at Batavia
quad, 9 a.m.
WARRIORS VARSITY
ATHLETICS
BOYS BASKETBALL
■Dec. ■ 13 – at LW East,
6:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – hosts
Kankakee, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
■Dec. ■ 13 – at LW East, 5
p.m.
BOYS BOWLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – hosts Bradley-
Bourbonnais at Laraway
Lanes, 4:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – Sandburg Invite
at Orland Bowl, 8 a.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – Andrew at
Orland Bowl, 4:30 p.m.
GIRLS BOWLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – Andrew at
Orland Bowl, 4:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – Plainfield North
Invite at Town and Country,
9 a.m.
■Dec. ■ 16 – LW East at
Thunder Bowl, 4:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 17 – Plainfield East
at Bowlero, 4:30 p.m.
CHEERLEADING
■Dec. ■ 14 – at LW East
Invite, 6 a.m.
DANCE
■Dec. ■ 14 – at Waubonsie
Valley Invite, 9 a.m.
WRESTLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – at Stagg, 5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 13 – hosts LW
Central, 5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – at Downers
South Invite, 9 a.m.
CELTICS VARSITY
ATHLETICS
BOYS BASKETBALL
■Dec. ■ 13 – at DePaul Prep,
7 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 17 – at Southland
Prep, 7 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
■Dec. ■ 12 – at Loyola, 7
p.m.
BOYS BOWLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – Leo at Lawn
Lanes, 4 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – Catholic League
North vs. South at Star Dust
Bowl, 10 a.m.
CHEERLEADING
■Dec. ■ 14 – at LW East
Invite, 6 a.m.
BOYS HOCKEY
■Dec. ■ 13 – hosts Notre
Dame at Arctic Ice Arena,
8:45 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – Benet at Seven
Bridges, 4:45 p.m.
WRESTLING
■Dec. ■ 12 – hosts Marist,
5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 13 – hosts St. Rita,
5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 – at Oak Park-
River Forest Duals, 8 a.m.
LINCOLN-WAY CO-OP
ATHLETICS
GIRLS GYMNASTICS
■Dec. ■ 14 – at Conant
Invite, 10 a.m.