A ‘W’ for ‘M’: Marquise Kennedy rallies Brother Rice past Josh Redic-led Mount Carmel

By Steve Millar
Daily Southtown

Brother Rice’s Marquise Kennedy and Mount Carmel’s Josh Redic staged quite the one-on-one showdown Friday night.

Kennedy, a Loyola recruit, embraced the challenge.

“It was a great matchup,” Kennedy said. “He played me tough. I played him tough. It was a lot different than normal. I had to spend a lot more energy than normal on defense. I was tired at the end.”

Kennedy, a senior guard, had enough left in the tank to lead the Crusaders to a 65-61 come-from-behind win over host Mount Carmel in a Catholic League crossover.

Kennedy scored 28 points and had nine rebounds for Brother Rice (12-5, 4-2 Catholic Blue), while Jimmy Gavin chipped in with 14 points.

Redic finished with 24 points and six rebounds for Mount Carmel (12-5, 4-2 Catholic White). Liam McDonagh added 14 points and eight rebounds.

“We normally give Marquise an easier matchup on defense so he can save some energy,” Brother Rice coach Bobby Frasor said. “Redic is so good, though, that I felt like we had to put Marquise on him.

“Redic still got his points, but Marquise made him work for it. I’m most proud of the way Marquise played defense.”

Brother Rice trailed 45-34 midway through the third quarter before Gavin hit a pair of 3-pointers and Kennedy scored on a drive to pull the Crusaders within 48-46 heading into the fourth.

“Marquise told me, ‘I need you now,’” Gavin said. “I told him, ‘I’ve got you, ‘Quise.’ I hit those threes and I think I made him pretty happy.”

The Crusaders went on a 7-0 run midway through the fourth to take a 60-54 lead.

Mount Carmel pulled within one twice in the final three minutes, but Conor Glennon’s steal and two free throws with 11 seconds left put Brother Rice up by four points and sealed the win.

Kennedy was proud to see his team respond to Mount Carmel’s 13-2 surge at the start of the third quarter.

“We were in big trouble,” Kennedy said. “I knew I had to step up and make a big play, and I did. I told my teammates to take shots when they were open. They did, and they hit big shots.

“Jimmy Gavin always steps up in the clutch for us.”

Deandre Hagan added eight points for Brother Rice. Will Mendez scored nine points for Mount Carmel.

Redic felt the Caravan let one slip away.

“We didn’t put our foot on their throats,” Redic said. “We should’ve finished it off.

“It was fun playing against (Kennedy). He’s really good.”

Gavin delivers late for Br. Rice in Mt. Carmel comeback win

The Beverly Review

by Tim O’Brien – Jan 8, 2019

A consistent sniper from long range, Br. Rice senior Jimmy Gavin is one of the best 3-point shooters around.

But in a back-and-forth contest at Mt. Carmel, Gavin showed he’s not just a long-range bomber.

Corralling a deep rebound and fighting his way through traffic, Gavin went coast to coast, hanging in the air for an athletic fast-break layup that helped seal a 65-61 comeback win on Jan. 4 in a Chicago Catholic League crossover.

“It was different. I’m used to sitting on the 3-point line waiting to shoot,” Gavin said with a smile. “There’s a hand in my face if I go up, someone to block me, so it was tough.”

Gavin finished with 14 points, including 4 3-pointers for Br. Rice (12-5, 4-2).

Loyola University-Chicago recruit Marquise Kennedy added another dominant game to his season-long resume, piling up 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

For the Crusaders, big efforts from Gavin and Kennedy were a necessity after a sluggish start to the third quarter. Mt. Carmel came out firing, connecting on 3 3-pointers as part of a 13-2 run that blew open a halftime tie at 32.

Kennedy had an answer.

“We were in big trouble,” Kennedy said. “When a team is raining 3s like that, it drains the life from the other team. In a timeout, I told my teammates to just shoot. If you miss, shoot again and keep shooting. We started hitting some shots and came out with the win.”

Kennedy scored on athletic slash through the defense and then found Gavin (Evergreen Park, Most Holy Redeemer) in the corner and at the top of the key for back-to-back 3-point swishes.

“Jimmy always comes through in the clutch for us. He delivered tonight,” Kennedy said. “He knows I’m looking for him. Every time I drive to the hole, I locate him on the court. He’s our best shooter, so when he gets the ball, there’s a good chance it’s going in.”

A Colin Campbell 3 put Br. Rice up 56-54 in the fourth with Anthony Arquilla scoring on a hard cut off a Campbell inbounds pass. A Kennedy layup extended the lead to 60-54 with 3:31 remaining.

Gavin sealed the comeback win with his fast-break layup after Mt. Carmel cut the score to 60-59.

Gavin admitted the layup wasn’t his first thought upon grabbing the rebound.

“Get it to Marquise, and go from there,” Gavin said.

Gavin is making the most of his chances in the starting lineup after not seeing the court much as a junior. He’s averaging just under 11 points a game this year.

“I knew it was my senior year, and I had to make the most of it,” Gavin said. “I was going to the gym shooting as many 3s as I could. I had to get ready, and so far, I’m doing what I wanted to do.”

Watching his team race back from an 11-point deficit in the second half, Br. Rice Coach Bobby Frasor said his team’s energy was outstanding.

“What I’ve been pushing for is their fight and how much they want to win. That showed me a lot right there,” Frasor said. “Hopefully we can build and grow from that. I’m proud of the guys for clawing and scrapping their way back.”

Junior Deandre Hagan added 8 points for the Crusaders.

Mt. Carmel dropped to 12-5, 4-2. Senior guard Josh Redic powered the Caravan with 24 points with Liam McDonagh (14 points) and Will Mendez (9 points) chipping in.

Redic said the Caravan blew a chance to close the game out early in the second half.

“We got complacent,” Redic said. “We looked at the lead, and we didn’t keep our foot on their neck. We should have kept going, kept playing hard like we were down. We’ve got to fix that.”

Mt. Carmel finished third at the Pekin holiday tournament and has already doubled last season’s win total.

“I’ve never been on a team like this with our chemistry,” Redic said. “We all love each other, and we have each other’s backs. That’s something that—win, lose or draw—we’ll never change.”

Brother Rice beats Marist to advance to Class 8A title game

Madeline Kenney

Nov. 17 4:45 p.m.

Brother Rice students and fans stormed the field shortly after the Crusaders’ 14-3 victory Saturday against host Marist. They huddled around the players, lifting a few in the air.
Yes, Brother Rice (13-0) punched its ticket to the Class 8A championship game next weekend. And, yes, the Crusaders kept their record unblemished. But what made the victory so sweet for Brother Rice was beating its archrival. The schools are located two miles from each other.

‘‘There’s been a lot of hype during the week,’’ Crusaders defensive lineman Justin Jefferson said. ‘‘And we’re just glad we got the win, and now we’re going to state.’’

The RedHawks appeared to be picking up momentum early in the game. But that quickly disappeared after starting quarterback Michael Markett temporarily left the game.

Markett returned for the second half, but Brother Rice’s defense showed little mercy. Marist (11-2) didn’t convert any of its last eight third-down opportunities.

‘‘We put ourselves in some pretty good positions, but we just couldn’t convert when we had those opportunities,’’ RedHawks coach Ron Dawczak said. ‘‘I just tip my hat to Brother Rice’s defense. They made it tough on us all day, obviously. We only scored three points.’’

Crusaders coach Brian Badke said he and his staff put an emphasis on shutting down Marist’s offense.

‘‘Defense has been our backbone all year, and if they can’t score, they can’t win,’’ Badke said. ‘‘Our guys had a great effort today, and they proved that they’re one of the best defenses in the state of Illinois.’’

One player who stood out was Jefferson, who had three sacks to raise his season total to nine.

‘‘It’s a team effort first, but I just came in and treated it like any other game,’’ Jefferson said. ‘‘I lead by example, but the hype on defense is contagious.’’

Jefferson said it was evident the RedHawks were struggling.

‘‘We saw it in their faces,’’ Jefferson said. ‘‘They started to give up.’’

Brother Rice’s offense wasn’t great, but it was good enough. The Crusaders were led by quarterback John Bean, who threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, a 13-yarder to David O’Keefe and a 75-yarder to Anthony Arquilla.

‘‘Our game plan was to not make anything too fancy and to stick with what we know how to do and run the ball,’’ Bean said.

Brother Rice, which will play Loyola in the Class 8A title game Saturday in Champaign, knows what it’s like to feel as though its back is against the wall. The Crusaders went 2-7 in 2017 in a season plagued by injuries and inexperience.

‘‘The whole team had adversity,’’ said Bean, who broke his hand in Week 7 last season and missed the rest of the games. ‘‘But we came back as a group, and we knew what we had to do.’’

‘‘We learned from it,’’ Badke said. ‘‘[The players] were really motivated in the offseason. . . . Now we’re on our way down I-57 to Champaign.’’

8 Seniors Commit to Compete Athletically at the Collegiate Level

Pictured from left to right: Benji Brokemond (Miami University, Baseball), Ryan Maher (Heartland CC, Baseball), Mike Bolton (Purdue University, Baseball), John Stillman (Bradley University, Golf), Kendall Pettis (University of Oklahoma, Baseball), Brandon Laux (Kirkwood CC, Baseball), Danny Doligale (University of Illinois, Baseball) , Marquise Kennedy (Loyola University, Basketball)

We are so proud of our student athletes who made their college commitments to play at the collegiate level!

Benji Brokemond (Miami University, Baseball)

Ryan Maher (Heartland CC, Baseball)

Mike Bolton (Purdue University, Baseball)

John Stillman (Bradley University, Golf)

Kendall Pettis (University of Oklahoma, Baseball)

Brandon Laux (Kirkwood CC, Baseball)

Danny Doligale (University of Illinois, Baseball)

Marquise Kennedy (Loyola University, Basketball)

Dylan Summers ’19 Commits to Cornell University

Brother Rice senior Dylan Summers has committed to Cornell University for Fall 2019. Summers currently plays as a wide receiver for our Crusader football team.

“First off, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play football at the next level. I would also like to thank my parents and siblings for guiding me through this process and the teachers and coaches at Brother Rice for molding me into the man I am today,” said Dylan. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to play division one football and receive an Ivy League education at the best school in the world.”

Brother Rice is very proud and wishes the best of luck to Dylan!

Sean McBride Named Head Baseball Coach

Brother Rice is pleased to announce Sean McBride as the new head baseball coach for our Crusaders. McBride is a graduate of Sandburg High School and St. Joseph College in Renssalear, Indiana, where he earned All Region honors and All Conference honors. McBride has been the assistant baseball coach at Brother Rice for 7 years with 11 years of High School coaching experience.

“I am very excited and thankful of the opportunity to continue coaching at Brother Rice,” Coach McBride said. “I’ve loved my 7 years here as assistant coach because of the great kids, parents and faculty that make this such a special school. I cannot wait to move forward and build on all the success of the Brother Rice baseball program.”

Brother Rice proudly congratulates Sean McBride on his new position and wishes him the best for the upcoming season.

Brother Rice Soccer Tryouts – Aug. 8

Brother Rice soccer will host tryouts August 8 to the 10 from 3-5 p.m. at Brother Rice High School. All student-athletes intending on playing must register at tinyurl.com/BRSoccerTryout.

Check-in for tryouts will be held at 2:30 p.m. on August 8 at the main entrance to the stadium. Student-athletes must complete ALL REQUIRED PAPERWORK (Brother Rice emergency contact form, pre-participation examination, and concussion & performance enhancing information sheet) prior to tryouts. Paperwork can be found at http://athletics.brotherrice.org/ihsa-forms/ and can be turned in to Coach Prunckle at Brother Rice prior to tryouts.

If you have any questions, please contact Coach Prunckle at mprunckle@brrice.org.

Golf Team Tryouts August 8, 2018

Tryouts for the 2018 Brother Rice Golf Team will be held at Ravisloe Country Club in Homewood on Monday, August 6, Tuesday, August 7, and Wednesday, August 8. Tryouts will begin at 7:00 a.m. each day. Email Head Golf Coach Mark Krizic at markkrizic@pga.com with questions.

Track & Field Success at CCL and Thornton Classic

4×4 team of Brendan Coghlan, Tommy Gleeson, Leo Staudacher, and Justin Palmer

The frosh/soph track & field team placed 5th in the Catholic League Championship on Friday, May 4. Top performance came from Ronan Dolan, who placed 3rd in the triple jump and 4th in both the long jump & 400. Third place efforts came from Eddie Burke in the 3200; Nehemiah Ray in the 400; and the 4×8 team of Charlie Fitzgerald, Alex MacFarlane, Matt Quattrocchi, & Mikey Corcoran. Willie Shaw had a strong race to finish 4th in the 100.

The varsity team also competed on Friday in the highly talented Thornton Classic. The top performance came from the 4×4 team of Brendan Coghlan, Tommy Gleeson, Leo Staudacher, and Justin Palmer. This Saturday is the varsity Catholic League Championship at Loyola.

Crusaders Finish 2nd in Rice Relays

Junior David Wolf takes off for the long jump.

The track & field team hosted the 12th Annual Rice Relays on Friday, April 21. The Crusader team finished 2nd in the 10-team field.

Event champions were Tre Gladney, Matt Cegielski, Brian McElligott, and Tommy Gleeson in the sprint medley.

Strong 2nd place efforts came from Dan Spellman in the elite 1600; the distance medley team of Spellman, McElligott, Brendan Coghlan, and Gleeson; the triple jump relay of Nico Perez, Ronan Dolan, Adrian Campos, & Erik Estrada; the 300 hurdle team of Justin Palmer, Charlie Fitzgerald, and Dan Zapata; as well as the frosh/soph 4×800 team of Alex MacFarlane, Mikey Corcoran, Matt Quattrocchi, and Eddie Burke.