Record-setting Robbie
Indiana State recruit Avila becomes Oak Forest’s all-time leading scorer in victory over Tinley Park
Oak Forest senior Robbie Avila could not have written a better script.
Late in the first half of Friday night’s game against rival Tinley Park, the 6-foot-9 forward buried a 3-pointer and pumped his fist exuberantly. He had just broken the program record for career points.
“I’ve been tracking it the last few games and it was important to me, so I knew exactly what I needed, and as soon as I hit that three, I knew I had it,” Avila said. “Doing it against Tinley was fun. It’s always a big game and it was chirpy out there.
“I’ve been living in this city pretty much my whole life, so to be in the record books for my school in my city, it’s amazing.”
Avila, an Indiana State recruit, finished with 22 points as the visiting Bengals rolled to a 60-45 South Suburban Blue victory.
Avila also had seven rebounds for Oak Forest (14-3, 6-2). Fred Robinson added 12 points and Jack Holubecki scored a careerhigh 11, all in the second half.
Tony Webb finished with 19 points and six rebounds to lead Tinley Park (10-10, 6-2). Malachi Haythorne had 13 points and Amarion Johnson pulled down 12 rebounds.
Avila needed 13 points to break the record of 1,658 points held by 1987 graduate Larry Gorman, who went on to play at Northwestern.
After Avila tied it on a free throw that completed a 3-point play with 2 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first half, he broke it on a 3-pointer with 1:45 to go before halftime.
He was quick to share credit with his teammates, past and present. That includes his brother, Juan, who graduated in 2020 after playing two seasons with Robbie.
“I have to thank all the guys that have passed me the ball,” Avila said. “I can’t do it if they don’t get me the ball, especially my brother. I don’t know how many assists he got for me those two years.”
The Bengals kept things low key. There was no announcement or celebration during the game, but there was plenty of congratulating Avila afterward in the locker room.
“You can’t express in words what Robbie means to Oak Forest basketball,” Bengals coach Matt Manzke said. “Not only he is a great player, but he’s the best leader I’ve ever coached.
“He’s a tremendous teammate and he does everything right in the classroom. He’s the total package, and Indiana State is really lucky they’re getting him.”
Oak Forest was in control all night. After a 3-pointer from Taurean Mickens put the Bengals up 5-4, they led the rest of the way. Mickens finished with eight points,
The Bengals led 32-24 at halftime as Avila scored 16 points in the first half.
Holubecki, though, was the biggest reason the game turned into a blowout in the second half. The senior guard hit three 3-pointers over the final two quarters of his career night.
“My role is to feed great players like Robbie and Fred,” Holubecki said. “They’re unbelievably talented. When I feed them, I know they’ll feed me right back and I’ll get those shots.
“I couldn’t ask for a better teammate than Robbie. For a guy like that to get a great accomplishment, we love it.”
Drew Pagnusat added seven points and five rebounds for Oak Forest.
Nick Harrell scored nine points for the Titans.
“We had no rhythm offensively,” Tinley Park coach D.J. Brown said. “They had all the momentum pretty much the whole way. We looked lethargic. Oak Forest had a lot of energy and enthusiasm and we looked like the moment overwhelmed us a little bit.”