June 1, 2019 by Mark Peters, Chicago Sun Times Columnist
Springfield Remains unbeaten in Summer opener
In what is quickly becoming the theme of the early 2019 summer campaign, Our Savior’s Springfield once again imposed its will — this time dismantling East St. Louis Unity by a staggering 78-21 margin. The Saturday morning tipoff at Game 3 of the Eagles’ opening summer weekend slate proved to be a showcase of fluid execution and relentless defense.
The tone was set early, as O.S. Springfield roared out to a 44-15 halftime lead, and never looked back. A quick-hitting offense fueled by seamless transition buckets, combined with a defense that forced a season-best 32 turnovers, proved too much for the overmatched Unity squad.
“We’re starting to understand how we can wear teams down,” Head Coach Phillip Heppe said following the game. “Our defense is turning into offense. Guys are anticipating and rotating, and when that happens, you’re going to see these types of results.”
Conor McCaffrey: Commanding the Court
The game belonged to Conor McCaffrey, who was simply unguardable from start to finish. The ambidextrous guard notched 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting, hitting 3-of-6 from long range and going a perfect 7-for-8 from the line. But it wasn’t just the scoring. McCaffrey added 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals, anchoring both ends with a calm but aggressive poise.
He opened the game with two early three-pointers, followed by a crafty spin-move finish and a no-look assist to Ian Klockenga, who added 10 points off the bench.
“I’m just reading the floor,” McCaffrey said modestly postgame. “We all trust each other, and that makes it easy to play free.”
Dawson Strauch: Catch-and Fire Excellence
Also making noise was Dawson Strauch, who caught fire from deep and poured in 13 points, knocking down 3 triples. The 8th grade wing demonstrated improved confidence on the catch-and-shoot and was aggressive defensively, notching 2 steals.
“He’s got that shooter’s memory,” Heppe said. “Dawson missed his first two shots and then hit his next three. That’s the kind of confidence we need him to carry into July.”
Relentless Defense Defines the Day
Defense, however, was the story. O.S. Springfield forced 32 turnovers — including 11 steals in the first half alone — and out-rebounded East St. Louis Unity 34-21. The Unity offense managed just 8 field goals the entire game and was held to 6 second-half points.
Jeremiah Perkins, always a steady force in the paint, added 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and was instrumental in forcing Unity’s guards into multiple poor decisions off the dribble.
“Defense travels. That’s something we believe in,” said Perkins. “We might not hit every shot, but we’ll always bring pressure and effort.”
Team Stats
FG: 31-60 (52%)
3PT: 6-16
FT: 10-14
Rebounds: 34 (20 defensive)
Turnovers Forced: 32
Assists: 21
Steals: 19
Team Plus-Minus: Multiple players at +57
Quote of the Day:
“We’re not focused on the scoreboard,” McCaffrey added. “We’re focused on habits. Coach tells us every day, summer games don’t win titles, but the habits we build in June can win us games in February.”
Looking Ahead:
With the blowout, O.S. Springfield moved to 3–0 in summer play with a +145 point differential across three games.