ETHS Girls Bow To New Trier Again

Evanston’s young girls will face plenty of big moments in their basketball careers going forward.

But they weren’t ready for their first trip to New Trier Friday night.

Out-rebounded by a 42-30 margin, the Wildkits lost to the Trevians for the second time this season after running out of gas in the fourth quarter of a 63-57 Central Suburban League South division decision in Winnetka.

The bright lights of the rivalry didn’t keep head coach Brittanny Johnson’s team from mounting comebacks even when they faced an uphill battle.

But a season full of those uphill battles can be pretty draining, especially when injuries have limited the playing rotation to just six players, including three freshmen. When New Trier applied full-court pressure early in the fourth quarter, the Kits couldn’t muster the energy even to get the ball inbounds.

“I think fatigue set in at that point. We weren’t able to get a second wind,” Johnson said. “But right off the bat tonight we had a lot of air balls and missed layups. This was a big moment for a young team --- and our youth showed tonight.

“Rebounding and effort were the difference tonight. I think a moment like this was just too big for us. But at least twice we looked like we were down and out and the positive I take out of this is the way we came back. I bet everyone in the stands thought the game was over at least twice. I never thought we were out of it.”

Freshman Charity Bryant’s 22 points and 14 from Jayla Warren should have given the Wildkits the edge in the paint. But the two post players only combined for 14 rebounds and New Trier kept extending possessions until the hosts finally found a way to score on most of their possessions.

New Trier (13-12 overall, 5-4 CSL South) pulled away behind Victoria Wainscott’s game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds, plus 18 points from Anna Rivera. In what is likely the final matchup between the two rivals for New Trier’s retiring head coach, Teri Rodgers, the Trevians upped their advantage in the all-time series between the two programs to 66 victories compared to 44 for ETHS.

Evanston (8-17, 3-6) surrendered 21 points in the first quarter before finding its footing on defense. Two free throws by junior Havana Van Vyk (13 points) with less than a second remaining on the clock before halftime pulled them back within striking range, down 36-34 at the intermission.

The Wildkits, however, went scoreless over the last 2:30 of the third stanza and back-to-back baskets by New Trier’s Dami Balogun, along with a 3-point basket by Wainscott, gave the Trevs some breathing room up 47-44.

That lead grew to 53-44 before the visitors finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter on a short jumper by Bryant. It marked the second straight 20-plus game for Bryant, a freshman forward who poured in a game-high 28 in a Wednesday win at DePaul Prep.

“I thought New Trier had a good game plan to take Charity out of the game by face-guarding her on defense in the second half,” Johnson acknowledged. “She needed to rise up and become a little more aggressive than she did. But we didn’t give up. We fought right until the end.”