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OPPrairiedaily.com sports
the orland park prairie | February 6, 2020 | 37
BOYS BASKETBALL
5
Sandburg wins two and will send at least two to college
Andrew basketball and football player Noah O’Connor
won the January Athlete of the Month competition for
publisher Century 22nd Century Media’s Southwest
Chicago branch. 22ND CENTURY MEDIA FILE PHOTO
ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
Andrew basketball/football
star wins January honor
JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor
Senior Andrew football
and basketball standout
Noah O’Connor took flight
lessons and flew a plane.
He has been flying high
during his athletic career
at the Tinley Park school
ever since.
O’Connor was voted
as the winner of the 22nd
Century Media’s Southwest
Chicago Athlete of
the Month contest for January.
It is the second time in
the past three months an
Andrew athlete earned the
honor. Volleyball player
Abby Kiaupa won in November.
The Athlete of the
Month competition pits
featured Athlete of the
Week selections from our
south suburban newspapers
against one another in
an online voting contest.
The next contest is to
begin Feb. 10.
To vote, visit OPPrai
rieDaily.com, hover over
the “Sports” menu tab
and click “Athlete of the
Month.” Readers can vote
once per session per valid
email address. Voting ends
at 5 p.m. Feb. 25.
All athletes featured in
the January Athlete of the
Week sports interviews are
automatically entered into
the contest.
MATT CIZEK
Freelance Reporter
Two Sandburg players,
including one who has
been injured this season,
have found college homes
in recent weeks.
Zach Kusper, a 5-foot-
8 senior guard, and Jack
Walsh, an injured 6-foot-
9 senior center, recently
committed to Chicago-area
NCAA Division III colleges.
Kusper is heading to
North Central College and
Walsh is heading to Elmhurst
College.
“Basketball has been everything
I’ve been about
for as long as I can remember,”
Kusper said. “I really
enjoyed [Sandburg alum
and North Central assistant]
coach Vince Kmiec.
I’m really looking forward
to the competition level.
Day in and day out, they’re
playing really hard teams.”
Kusper and Walsh could
end up facing each other
in the coming years. Elmhurst
and NCC are in the
College Conference of Illinois
and Wisconsin.
Although he has not
been able to play this season,
Walsh picked up some
college looks in the summer
as a member of the
Chicago LockDown.
“[Elmhurst has] my major
[Sports Management].
I look forward to getting
back and being able to
play. I miss being with my
teammates,” he said.
Joliet joy
Sandburg sandwiched a
tight 54-49 loss on the road
to Homewood-Flossmoor
on Friday, Jan. 31 with a
58-44 home win over Joliet
Catholic Academy on Jan.
28 and a 53-42 triumph
over Joliet Central on Saturday,
Feb. 1 at the Lincoln-Way
West Shootout.
Jack Walsh has been injured his senior season, but
the Sandburg center recently committed to Elmhurst
College. PHOTOS BY JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
Sandburg senior guard Zach Kusper committed to
North Central College.
In the early going of
the Joliet battle, the Hilltoppers
looked as though
they might be in for an offensive
showcase with 24
first-quarter points. It was
more than they would get
in the next three quarters
combined as the Eagles
tightened the defense.
“Joliet Catholic’s got
some kids who can shoot
it, so they made some 3’s,”
Eagles coach Todd Allen
said. “We weren’t really
crisp with our assignments
[early on], but after that I
thought the kids did a really
good job.”
H-F (18-2 overall, 3-0 in
the SouthWest Suburban
Conference Blue) came
into the game ranked sixth
in the Associated Press
Class 4A poll and the Eagles
(11-11, 0-2) gave the
Vikings a battle.
“I’m really proud of
the kids,” Allen said. “We
said ‘Hey, we’re playing
a really good game on
their court, we just want a
chance to win it in the final
minutes.’”
Sandburg was able to do
just that, having a chance
to tie in their final possession.
However, a 3-point
shot fell short.
Defensive improvement
Following a 27-4 run
by the Vikings, the Eagles
outscored the Vikings 39-
27 from the middle of the
second quarter until the
game’s end, forcing six
turnovers in the second
half.
“This is probably one
of the best shooting teams
they’ve had in a long
time,” Allen said. “They’re
tough to defend…battling
back, [our players] did a
great job.”
Atharva Atreya scored
18 points in both the Joliet
Catholic and H-F games.
“Our goal was to shorten
the game up a bit,” Allen
said. “We wanted [to make
it] a little lower possession
[game].”
The strategy worked
well early on, as the
Eagles took an early 6-0
lead despite not taking
their first shot until nearly
two minutes into the
game.
Kusper also chimed in
with 12 points against the
Vikings – all coming on
3-point baskets in the second
half.
In the Joliet Central victory,
Atreya had 12 points,
while Kusper and Jordan
Phillips each had 11.
Kobe’s death felt by
Eagles
Basketball fans felt a
surreal week unlike any
other in recent memory
following the tragic death
of Kobe Bryant and eight
others on Jan. 26.
The Eagles players felt it
as well.
“Since [the players]
were not in the Michael
Jordan era, Kobe was kind
of their guy,” Allen said.
“I think it impacted some
kids, but after a couple
days we were able to move
on.”
What’s up next?
The Eagles were scheduled
to visit Bolingbrook
on Tuesday, Feb. 4. They
are slated to return to Orland
Park to play Lincoln-
Way East at 6 p.m. Friday
Feb. 7.