Oak Forest Comes Out With a Win Against Crosstown Rival

By: BDTV228 Sports Intern, Joel Melidona

On Friday night, January 31st, the Oak Forest Bengals (21-1) hosted their rival, the Tinley Park Titans (15-9). The Bengals proved themselves victorious in the historic rivalry. Throughout the game, the electric atmosphere fueled the Bengals.

It was one of the most highly-anticipated games in all of the south suburban basketball. Being that the game had been in talks for months, the seating was filled. As expected, fans came and supported both sides of the rivalry. The game was sold out, standing room only, and staff even had to turn away people from the ticket desk.

In honor of Kobe Bryant and to foster school spirit, students from Oak Forest High School showed up wearing purple, black, and gold. But while the stands were a sight to behold, the real spotlight was set on 6’8” sophomores Robbie Avila (Bengals) and A.J. Casey (Titans). Casey is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2022 in Illinois, with Avila being in the top 10 of those players.

A.J. Casey and Robbie Avila set up for the game tip off. (Photo by Leah Kummer)

Despite being rivals, Avila and Casey are close friends and were teammates at Arbor Park Middle School.

“It was a lot of fun getting back on the court against him," said Avila. "We went at each other with all we had and we got the win.”

Both players showed up on the court. Avila scored 16 points and brought in 9 rebounds to lead the Bengals to a 53-39 win. Senior Jason Kent added 16 of the 53 points, and starting senior guard Devin Tolbert contributed 8 points.

For the Titans, Casey had 15 points and 10 rebounds with only 6 of those points coming in the second half of the game.

The game took a turn in the finals quarters. With third quarter winding down and with only three seconds left, Devin Tolbert (Bengals) hit an outstanding 3-point shot which set up the Bengals with a score of 43-32 for the 4th quarter. However, It was Juan Avila’s dunk in the 4th quarter that had the crowd on fire. From that point on, the Titans could not contest the home team.

In more exciting OFHS Basketball news, varsity player Jason Kent was also awarded for reaching 1,000 career points at the game. Considering Kent averages an impressive 17.8 points a game, this didn't come as a surprise. The honor was well-deserved and a proud moment for the Bengals.

Coach Matt Manzke hands Kent his 1,000 award point ball. (Photo by Leah Kummer)

Additionally, the freshman and sophomore teams also came away victorious against the Titans.

It was an all around day of wins.

And, if one day wasn't enough, they did it again the very next day as the varsity team competed against Lincoln Way West. By one point, the Bengals called it a weekend and walked away with a 62-61 victory. The W came with only 14.5 seconds left on the clock after Devin Tolbert landed two free throws.

The Bengals now stand with a record of 21-1. They'll play Chicago Agricultural Science High School (16-6) tonight at 6:30 pm at home. There are six games left for fans to catch the Bengals in action before IHSA Regionals. Check out their full schedule here.