Sami Osmani, Oak Lawn dominate Tinley Park

Sami Osmani expected to beat Tinley Park on Friday. He expected to outscore and shut down AJ Casey, the top prospect in the state. He did all of that, but he also managed to surprise himself.

Osmani, a 6-4 senior without an offer from a Division I or Division II school, even out-dunked Casey.

“He’s a 6-9 guy, a Simeon transfer,” Osmani said. “[So I didn’t expect that], but it’s always fun to play against players that get the hype, you know?”

Osmani was draped all over Casey, denying him the ball for three quarters before the running clock began early in the fourth quarter of the Spartans’ 79-47 victory against visiting Tinley Park.

“They’re a group of sophomores with a lot of potential, but I don’t think they can hang with us,” Osmani said. “I don’t think a lot of teams can hang with us.”

Osmani scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds. He shot 9-for-14 and limited Casey to eight points and one rebound.

“I have a chip on my shoulder,” Osmani said. “[Casey is a] five-star sophomore. I was hungry, and I wanted to show everyone that I could play at a high level.”

Point guard Trey Ward, who has been playing with Osmani for seven years, has become an offensive force this season, averaging 20 points. He finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.

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“Trey has grown tremendously as a player and a leader,” Spartans coach Jason Rhodes said. “In the past, he maybe wasn’t as aggressive as we would have wanted him to be, but that’s completely changed this year. He’s very aggressive on both ends of the floor.”

Oak Lawn (13-2) jumped out to a 23-10 lead after the first quarter and never let the Titans (11-5) back in the game.

Casey entered on a tidal wave of hype after scoring a career-high 34 points in Tinley Park’s last game.

“Everybody was pretty jacked up for this game,” Rhodes said. “Obviously, Tinley Park is in the news a lot, and Casey is a really good player. Sami takes that kind of thing personally, which is what you want to see from a great player.”

Scott Maloney had 12 points and four rebounds off the bench for Oak Lawn, and Kevin Swatek added eight points and eight rebounds.

Sophomore AaReyon Munir-Jones and junior Maurice Evans each scored 11 for the Titans, who start four sophomores.

“They worked really hard on denying [Casey] and limiting his touches, and when he did get a touch, they ran two at him consistently,” Tinley Park coach DJ Brown said. “We have to do a better job of getting [Casey] open.”

Osmani is No. 1 in his class academically. Augustana and Williams College are the schools most interested in him for basketball, according to Rhodes. There was an Augustana coach at the game.

Osmani has proved his worth as a high school player the last two seasons, recently becoming the top scorer in school history. But the college scholarship offers have not followed.

He has been labeled as unathletic, which is why outplaying a taller, ultra-athletic player such as Casey was so important to him. Throwing down a massive dunk near the end of the game didn’t hurt, either. Those were the on-court messages. Osmani also made a sales pitch after the game.

“[I’m available] for anyone that wants a guy with a tough work ethic,” Osmani said. “I’m an all-around player, solid defender, solid shooter. I have a couple of looks, but nothing more that. I’m a gritty guy. I’ll do anything it takes to win. Obviously, the dream is D-I, but hopefully D-I and D-II coaches are looking.”