Justin Oliver rose through the ranks as a freshman and sophomore at Curie, playing on the freshmen and junior-varsity squads.
It was in his junior year that he earned a starting spot on the varsity squad and ran with the opportunity as a lead guard for the Condors.
For Oliver and his teammates, it was a heck of a ride that ended on March 6.
That’s when Curie lost 71-65 in overtime to St. Ignatius in the Class 4A Mount Carmel Sectional championship.
“This season, it meant a lot for the program,” Oliver said. “It was for all our players, all the newcomers who came in. It was for them. We won the city championship again. It was all a great feeling.”
Oliver led the way for the Condors (29-2) against St. Ignatius with 15 points, two assists and two blocks.
Seniors Saquan Commings and Kendall Holliday (five rebounds) scored 10 points apiece, and senior Keith Collins added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Senior Joshua Hurley chipped in with five points and six rebounds.
Coach Mike Oliver said he loved watching this year’s team, especially a deep senior class, develop over the season.
“We had eight seniors. Guys had been here all four years,” Oliver said. “It was a special group. They won on every level and played hard for us. We came up short of our goal, but I wouldn’t trade them in for anything.”
Curie’s only other loss came to Benet, the top-ranked team in the state, at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
The Condors beat Lincoln Park on Feb. 20 at Credit Union 1 Arena to win the Public League city championship.
Justin Oliver said this team clicked all the way back to last summer.
“It all started in summer league and carried over to the fall,” Oliver said. “Since Pontiac, guys got more steady as we played better teams. After the loss to Benet, we started playing with each other more and continued to get better.”
Curie trailed most of the game against St. Ignatius and was in a 14-point hole late in the third quarter.
The team’s full-court press rattled the Wolfpack, though, allowing the Condors to close on a 21-9 run to force overtime.
Curie missed three contested, physical shots in the lane in the final seconds of regulation that would have been game-winners.
“We just wanted to pressure their ballhandlers,” Justin Oliver said. “You try to trap and try to get that skip pass. Then the crowd got into it, and that helped us.”
St. Ignatius sophomore D.J. Caldwell hit two early 3-pointers in overtime to set the tone. The Wolfpack outscored Curie 11-5 in the extra period.
Collins, a 6-8 forward, transferred to Curie from Hyde Park for his senior year.
He came off the bench all season, including a big effort in the sectional final on the boards.
“It was an adjustment transferring,” Collins said. “I had to be a part of the team and figure out what I had to do to do my part and be a big. We have eight seniors. You’ve got to work and practice like a starter every day in practice. We were working hard every day.”
Curie’s roster didn’t feature any Division I recruits.
Instead, the Condors relied on balance and overall chemistry.
“We play the Curie style of basketball,” Mike Oliver said. “We came up short, but take your hat off to St. Ignatius. They shot well and stuck to the game plan. The better team won today.”