4-Point Play Lifts Kit Girls In Tourney Opener

Kailey Starks couldn’t ever remember scoring on a 4-point play before for Evanston’s girls basketball team.

“But my short turn memory isn’t very good,” admitted the Evanston senior.

Starks’ game-changing play late in the fourth quarter helped the Wildkits rally past Lake Zurich 50-46 Wednesday in the first round of the Morton College Christmas Tournament in a game they trailed throughout.

Starks’ scored that 3-point bucket, tacked on a free throw, and freshman Payton King delivered a key steal and layup to help Evanston earn the breathing room it needed down the stretch.

With the win, the Wildkits improved to 9-3 on the season and earned a quarterfinal date Thursday at 6:45 p.m. versus Peoria Notre Dame. Notre Dame was ranked fourth in the state in Class 2A in the first Associated Press state poll this season and will take a 15-2 won-loss record into Thursday’s matchup after crushing Trinity in another first round game Wednesday.

Finally showing the sense of urgency they needed to avoid the consolation bracket, the Kits poured in 13 points in the final 4 minutes, 12 seconds led by Starks (game-high 23 points) and Zuri Ransom (12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 4 steals). ETHS outscored Lake Zurich 19-10 in the final period.

Ransom’s 3-point basket at the 4:12 mark pulled Evanston even at 40-40 and that’s when ETHS head coach Brittanny Johnson served up a reminder to her squad.

“I think their coach called a timeout at that point,” said Johnson, “and I told them you’re just about to run out of time. It took us until the last four minutes to play at our speed and not at theirs. It’s really a credit to our seniors for the way they played down the stretch, each (Ransom, Starks and Arianna Milam-Pryor) in their own way.

“I was very concerned at the start of the fourth quarter because we weren’t playing the game at our speed. But the seniors got it done for us, with help from the freshmen (King, Ky’Nia Hunt and Jaylah McClure-Calvin). The seniors just said the game wasn’t over.”

Evanston showed plenty of resolve against a Bears’ team that started four players who were 6-foot or taller. The Wildkits outrebounded the losers 32-31, although most of Lake Zurich’s points were in the paint. 6-foot-2 junior Avery Cooper stuffed in 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and 6-1 soph Leah Gilbertson backed her up with 15 points and 4 boards.

And the fourth quarter belonged to the 5-foot-8 Starks, who hurt the Bears with her inside play and then burned them with that 4-point play that she shouldn’t have any trouble remembering going forward.

Starks shook off her typical slow start --- she only took 3 shots in the first 13 minutes before finally scoring her first basket --- to convert 9-of-19 shots from the field for the game. She posted up twice underneath as Evanston fought back from a 38-31 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, and Stark’s scoop shot in a tangle of players on the floor tied the score at 42-42 with 2:23 left in regulation.

Exactly 60 seconds later she fired in a 3-point basket, just to the right of the top of the key, and was brushed to the floor by Lake Zurich defender Gilbertson.

“I felt her when I shot, and when I fell, I said I’ll take that extra point,” said Starks. “My shot hasn’t really been falling lately, but that one felt good when it left my hand.

“I got more aggressive (in the fourth quarter) when I saw I had a mismatch and starting posting up more. I know I’m smaller than a lot of girls, but I love posting up. I had faith in our team because we knew what needed to be done. We made it much harder tonight than it needed to be. We were tough on ourselves. It was more like us versus us. I know that I need to play with more confidence and be less sluggish and soft at the start of games.”

“Kailey stepped up and really made a big play there,” said Johnson. “It’s been frustrating for her. She’s had a string of games where she hasn’t played as well as I know she’d like to and I think it’s a matter of focus for her. Knowing Kailey, I know she’ll fix it.

“Lake Zurich had the obvious size advantage on us and we let them get to their spots too much on offense. We’ve really thrown our freshmen into the fire this year (extended floor time) and they’re getting better every game. Payton was aggressive and made the right play there at the end. That was a big moment for her.”

Ransom, who is nearing the 1,000 point plateau in her career, scored the first five points of the game and that supplied the Kits their only lead until the last four minutes. Lake Zurich led 12-7 at the first quarter break and held a 26-20 edge at halftime.