Win puts Fenton in rare spot

Fenton put itself in position to do something it hasn't done since 1976 after defeating Chicago Academy 71-47 in Bensenville on Wednesday.

The Bison (10-19) will have the chance to win their first regional title in 35 years when they face Senn on Friday night.

"I've seen my four older brothers play basketball here and this year is our best opportunity. We have the quickness," said Bison senior Kyle Moriarty.

Moriarty helped Fenton pull away from the Cougars (8-15) by knocking down a plethora of high percentage shots early. He finished with 11 points.

Fenton jumped out to a 12-4 lead and forced a Cougars timeout after Colin Wallace found Jeremy Shimanek for an easy layup. The lightning-quick start for Fenton eventually led to a 27-8 lead after the first quarter.

"There was a lot of good ball movement from everyone on our team tonight. No one was being selfish," Shimanek said after scoring 15 points for the Bison.

After their dominant third quarter, the Bison were outscored 30-24 in the second and third quarters combined.

"The third quarter has been tough for us all season," Shimanek said.

The two sluggish quarters by Fenton gave the Cougars a fighting chance.

"We did a better job in the second half finding a body and boxing out," said first year Cougars coach Randy Stonewall. "We worked hard and didn't give up."

Fenton senior Dan Montano's ability to draw shooting fouls helped keep the game from slipping away for the Bison.

Montano finished with 17 points and went 7 of 10 from the free-throw line.

The Bison clamped down defensively in the fourth quarter. According to Fenton coach Dennis Cromer, it was the third game in the row the Bison have achieved their team goal of holding opponents under 50 points.

"Switching to a zone defense in the fourth took away (Chicago Academy's) offensive momentum," Cromer said.

Shimanek watched Senn play earlier this week and knows the Bison have a strong foe standing in the way of their first regional title in decades.

"(Senn) has a lot of athletic ability," Shimanek said. "But if we can force them to play 1-on-1 basketball we should have a lot better chance to win."

According to Moriarty, the Bison will have to make a lot of plays that don't show up on the scoresheet to take down Senn.

"We have to box out and draw more charges," Moriarty said. "We had three or four players tonight who took a charge and we'll need that Friday."