Defense Never Rests, But Kits Can't Score In Season-Ending Loss

It took all season for head coach Brittanny Johnson to coax a championship effort on defense from Evanston’s girls basketball team.

But the Wildkits couldn’t match that effort at the other end of the floor and bowed out of postseason competition with a 41-24 loss to top-seeded Loyola Academy in the semifinals of the Class 4A Maine South Sectional tournament Tuesday in Park Ridge.

Evanston finished 17-11 as the offense hit a sour note in the finale. The losers totaled more traveling calls than field goals (7) and had more turnovers (25) than points in a lackluster showing.

Loyola (31-2) held ETHS’ leading scorer on the season, sophomore Charity Bryant, to just a single bucket and two free throws. Bryant had passed the 900-point plateau for her career as the Kits captured the regional title last week and only trails the school’s all-time leading scorer, Leighah Amori-Wool, by about 300 points with two seasons to go.

And as in most of Evanston’s games this season, no one else stepped up on offense.

“Kudos to Loyola, because they packed the paint and made it difficult for us to get into any of our (offensive) actions,” said Johnson after her team shot just 7-of-33 from the field. “But any time you hold a team like that, which is one of the most efficient teams in the state, that far under their average I’m really proud of that.

“If we had knocked down some shots early, it might have been different. All season I haven’t been able to get them to buy-in as shot-takers, and shot-makers. We didn’t have anyone on the team who had ever played in a sectional before, and Loyola’s a senior-dominated team with girls who have won a state championship.

“I think the moment got a little too big for us and our inexperience showed.”

Loyola defeated the Wildkits for the second time this season, but turned the ball over 17 times Tuesday and was held to its second lowest point total of the season. The Ramblers lost to Whitefish Bay (Wis.) 50-38 back in December.

The Ramblers couldn’t rely on their transition game Tuesday because most of Evanston’s turnovers stopped the clock. But when Loyola’s Emily Naraky (15 points, 5 rebounds) scored back-to-back buckets in transition midway through the second quarter, the Ramblers stretched the lead to 18-9. A steal and lay-up by Marycait Mackie pushed the advantage to 20-9 at the intermission.

Evanston never threatened in the second half, scoring only two buckets in the first 13 minutes as Loyola put the game out of reach. The Ramblers, who will face host Maine South in Thursday’s sectional championship game, also got 15 points from Maddie Locke.

Freshman Simone Hewitt led Evanston with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Payton King added 7 points.

“I thought we had a solid game plan for our offense tonight. But even with the loss, I thought the defense we played tonight showed the growth of our team,” Johnson said. “For the first time we executed our defensive game plan to perfection. 100 percent, that was our best defensive performance of the year.

“That second quarter run gave Loyola some separation and I knew it’d be tough after that.”

The veteran coach gave props to her departing seniors --- Sandra Deeney, Havana Van Wyk, Kamilla Johnson and Casey McDermott --- for weathering a rough stretch for the program during their varsity careers. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of girls participating in basketball at ETHS has steadily dropped, and for most varsity games this season the Kits only suited up 8 or 9 players.

Johnson’s increased involvement with the feeder program has restored the turnout back to those pre-COVID days and she’ll have a strong trio to build around in Bryant, King and Hewitt in 2026-27.

“We’ll take our licks now, and hope to get better over the next couple of years,” Johnson noted. “This team really exceeded expectations after we went 12-20 last year. They figured it out and won the regional and the conference. They’ll feel disappointed tonight --- and then they’ll feel proud.

“With all the ups and downs we had, the seniors stuck it out and they set a great example for the younger players. They helped us lay the foundation that says we’re back (as a program). They accomplished what they set out to do this year.

“Next year we’re looking to add some more pieces and fill in the holes to be even better.”