Evanston Girls Advance To Regional Finals

Payton King has spent more time in concussion protocol than on the basketball court this season.

But the Evanston sophomore put those issues behind her Monday and helped send the Wildkit girls into the Class 4A Evanston Regional championship game in a 53-36 trimming of Chicago Taft.

King came off the bench to help put the clamps on Taft’s offense – which consisted entirely of guard Gabriela Gonzalez --- and the No. 8 seeded Wildkits outscored the Eagles 17-7 in the fourth quarter.

Evanston, now 12-19 on the year, advanced to the title game set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Beardsley Gymnasium against Loyola Academy. The defending state champions wiped out Chicago Mather 91-21 in Monday’s other semifinal contest.

Freshman Charity Bryant (18 points, 5 rebounds) and senior Jayla Warren (14 points, 7 rebounds) took turns dominating in the paint and made sure that the Kits kept their season alive. Warren, perhaps the most improved player in the Central Suburban League this year, poured in nine points in the first half while Bryant (2-for-9 shooting) couldn’t get untracked.

But Bryant, the only ETHS player selected to the all-Central Suburban League South division team, picked her game up a notch in the second half and stashed in 6-of-8 field goal attempts for the winners.

The late return to action this month by former starters King and Brielle Rosemond has created a new dynamic for an Evanston team that didn’t have the depth to deal with injuries and a tough schedule simultaneously this season. Both players came off the bench Monday after they’d been missing in action since colliding and suffering concussions in a game against Barrington on January 25th.

King had just returned that week after suffering her first concussion around Christmas. To say that the Kits missed her talent at both ends of the floor might be the understatement of the 2024-25 campaign.

Head coach Brittanny Johnson turned to the two sophomores with the season on the line and the hosts holding a 36-29 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

“I knew they’d be a little rusty, and coming off concussions like that there could be some fear about going after the ball,” said Johnson. “But having them back and giving us more experience off the bench is huge for us.

“We were too conservative on defense in the second and third quarters, but we pressured them more and we were able to get the stops we needed in the fourth quarter. Payton is our best defender --- she’s so versatile we can move her around anywhere --- and we needed her on defense against that No. 34 (Gonzalez). I knew about her from AAU and summer ball, but we didn’t have any of their later games on film (for scouting purposes). Once we figured it out, we were OK.”

Gonzalez, a left-handed guard, flipped in 10 points in the first half but totaled just four points in the second half, all of them coming at the free throw line.

And she couldn’t beat King 1-on-1. The ETHS guard stopped her on back-to-back possessions early in the final period and didn’t hesitate to stick her nose into the mix in a physical game.

First King wrestled the ball away from Gonzalez when she tried to drive to her left, for a turnover. The next time down the court, King jumped to her right to take position away from Gonzalez, who threw a pass out of bounds.

Evanston answered with scores both times, on an inbound pass to Warren and on a 3-point shot by Bryant, and pulled away to a 45-29 lead. King got the last laugh on Gonzalez when she snatched a rebound and was fouled by the Taft star, her fifth personal of the contest that put her on the bench with two minutes left in the Eagles’ season.

Taft finished 10-26 overall.

The Wildkits never trailed in the contest thanks to a strong start by Warren. The sturdy senior broke down Taft’s 1-3-1 zone time and time again as ETHS broke out to a 15-4 first quarter lead.

“I really felt like Jayla set the tone for us tonight,” Johnson praised. “She got up off the floor to block a shot and she did things I’ve never seen her do before. She gave us a lot of energy at the start of the game, and just watching her really fired me up!

“Jayla didn’t play a single second in the summer because of her (ankle) injury and it’s amazing just how far she’s come since October. She’s playing with confidence and doing everything we’ve asked her to do. I’m a post-loving coach and she’s learned to position herself better, and to play through contact. It’s amazing when you see how seniors can react with their seasons on the line. Tonight was a really special moment for her.”

Evanston earned a rematch with a Loyola team that dominated them 61-27 in a January meeting and Johnson knows her young team won’t back down in what could be an elimination game.

“I just want them to go out and play loose, because we have nothing to lose,” the coach added. “Right now we’re jelling and I think we’re in a good place as a team.”