Hyde Park doesn’t feature a major star and has flown under the radar for most of the season, but Thunderbirds coach Jerrel Oliver has four experienced seniors who have been with his program for four years. That’s a rarity in high-level Public League basketball.
And as the city playoffs hit the final rounds and the state playoffs loom just ten days away, Hyde Park is taking on a more prominent role in the area.
“Loyalty,” Thunderbirds senior Amare Leflore said. “We’ve developed a relationship off the court that is really going to help us in this push over the next month.”
Leflore scored 19 points to help Hyde Park to a 74-45 win against visiting Fenger on Thursday in the Public League playoffs. The win sends Hyde Park into Saturday’s quarterfinals against the winner of Crane vs. Lindblom.
Kye Ward-Owens, Jacobi Walls and Zyere McNeal are the other three loyal seniors. Ward-Owens scored 20 points against the Titans (13-14).
“Consistency has been the biggest thing for us this year, trying to get all of us to play good at one time,” Ward-Owens said. “But it is all starting to fall together now. At the perfect time.”
The Thunderbirds (20-7) broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Fenger 30-12. The Titans had 28 turnovers in the game.
“Our coaches really emphasize defensive pressure, and we went out there and executed,” Ward-Owens said.
Curie is a heavy favorite to win the city championship, but Hyde Park is right there in the next tier of contenders.
“[The city tournament] is something I’ve been looking forward to since I was a little kid,” Leflore said. “Being a senior and being able to compete for something I’ve watched most of my life is pretty exciting.”
Right before the game began, the Thunderbirds learned they had earned the No. 1 seed in the Class 3A De La Salle Sectional.
“That was a huge confidence boost,” Leflore said. “It just boosted team morale and everything. That is something Hyde Park has never done before and something we are taking seriously.”
Hyde Park has a favorable path to Champaign. The Thunderbirds’ top competition in the sectional is King and the host Meteors. They could face Leo, Hillcrest or Thornton in the supersectional.
“There is a real opportunity for us,” Oliver said. “We’ve played East St. Louis and Kankakee this season, the best teams in 3A. We played Kankakee to a two-point game late in the fourth quarter. On any given night we can beat those teams if we show up and play the way we did tonight.”
Senior Lonnie Mosley scored eight points, and junior Camarion Weathers added 10 points and seven rebounds for Hyde Park. The four loyal seniors, Mosley and Weathers are all capable of stepping up and leading the team in scoring during any given game.
“One of the best things about [Oliver] is the schedule he sets up for us every year,” Ward-Owens said. “By the time we get to the playoffs we are ready.”
Senior Savion Singleton led Fenger with 20 points and junior Mi’cah Eddings added 10 points. The Titans’ city playoff run is over, but they also have an excellent opportunity to advance to state in March.
Fenger is the No. 3 seed in the Class 1A Momence Sectional. The Titans struggled against the much larger Public League schools they faced in the regular season, but they knocked off Yorkville Christian, one of the best Class 2A teams, 66-53 in January and should more than hold their own against 1A competition.