D.J. Steward’s toes were inches from the baseline and his hands in the air when the Fenwick freshman suddenly jumped back and reached down for a clean interception and an easy layup.
None of Elliot Sieger’s three first-half steals were as impressive, but the DePaul Prep freshman’s four straight 3-pointers were more impactful.
The future of Catholic League basketball was on display Friday in Oak Park.
Ultimately, though, it was the seniors’ night.
Jamal Nixon and Jacob Keller summoned their seven years of varsity experience to rally No. 11 Fenwick to a 56-53 overtime victory in what amounted to the Catholic North championship game.
Nixon exploited DePaul’s lack of size with 24 points. Keller added 12 points, seven assists and four steals as the Friars (18-4, 9-0) trailed for 29 minutes before securing their second consecutive sweep of the Catholic League.
“Since my freshman year my role has grown,” said Nixon, whose shooting hand was wrapped to protect a sprained thumb. “Now I am the leader of this team and I try to lead these guys the best I can. To win conference, that’s what we want to do, but we’ve got big goals beyond that.”
DePaul Prep (17-7, 7-2) had won eight of its last nine — the lone loss coming to national power La Lumiere of La Porte, Ind. — and the Rams started quickly behind Sieger and sophomore Perry Cowan, scoring eight of the game’s first nine points and leading 22-12 midway through the second quarter.
Fenwick’s only lead in regulation came on a Keller feed to Nixon with 3 minutes, 34 seconds left, then DePaul scored the next four points before an equalizer by Keller with 1 minute, 33 seconds left ultimately forced overtime.
Keller went coast-to-coast for the first bucket of the extra period and set up Nixon for a three-point play as Fenwick opened overtime with a 7-0 run.
“Jake and I have been playing together for a long time,” Nixon said. “We’ve got a lot of chemistry, and him being the leader he is and me being the leader I am, we take great pride in it.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Jamal Nixon, Fenwick, 24 points, 7 rebounds.
Key performers: Fenwick — Jacob Keller, 12 points, 7 assists, 4 steals. DePaul Prep — Elliot Sieger, 19 points, 5 3-pointers, 3 steals; Perry Cowan, 12 points.
