Niles North’s basketball team figures to own the Central Suburban League North division race after finishing with a perfect 5-0 record over the first half of competition.
But ask the Vikings and their fans the best way to build a cage resume and they’d pick a win over Evanston any season.
In a neighborhood matchup of two schools that aren’t exactly rivals --- but sometimes feature players who have competed in both programs during their high school years --- North scored its first win over the Wildkits since the 2017-18 season Tuesday night at Beardsley Gymnasium.
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Evanston shot just 29 percent from the field over the last three quarters and the Vikings scored the last five points of the game on their way to a 53-47 crossover triumph.
Evanston dipped to 13-7 on the season with another dismal performance on offense. The concern for head coach Mike Ellis? Shooting figured to be the current team’s strength as a unit, not a liability.
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“That’s what it looks like when your two leading offensive players (Theo Rocca and Morgan Brown) miss 20 shots,” said Ellis, who couldn’t have anticipated a shooting effort of just 19-of-55 (34 percent overall) against a program not exactly known for playing tight defense. “I think it’s all about our mental approach. When your mindset isn’t right, you’re not going to make shots. Every time down the court, every possession, has to matter more.
“We’re not getting to the free throw line (North had a 16-7 edge in attempts) and it’s got nothing to do with the officiating. It’s because we’re just flipping up shots. We wasted a lot of opportunities tonight and we treated too many possessions like they just didn’t matter.
“This game matters because it will decide where we will go in March (regional tournament seeding). Now Niles North can say at the seed meeting that they won at Evanston. Now, that’s on their resume.”
Yaris Irby, who played at ETHS as a freshman, led the Vikings (14-4 overall) with 19 points and Kaiden Chatham added 15. Brandon Watson was the only Wildkit in double figures with 11 points and also had 4 assists.
Rocca, who has been in an offensive funk lately, only connected on 4-of-14 shots from the field and finished with 9 points. Brown recorded 8 points on 2-of-12 marksmanship.
Evanston led 15-13 after the first quarter, then mustered just seven points in the second period and surrendered the lead when Irby fired in a 30-foot jumper at the halftime buzzer and flexed his muscles in celebration before heading to the lockerroom.
A 3-point play by Watson helped the hosts pull back on top a 33-32, but the Vikes scored six unanswered points and never trailed again.
Jonny Dickson’s 3-point basket from the left corner with 65 seconds left in the game cut North’s lead to 48-47. Chatham responded with a drive down the lane for a layup, and after Watson was forced to throw up a wild shot with his back to the basket, the Vikings clinched the win with three free throws in the last 31 seconds.
“We have to have a little more fortitude as a team,” Ellis explained. “Brandon had to throw up that shot just because he lost his balance. We didn’t get the play we wanted there coming out of the timeout, and it didn’t look pretty because he lost his balance.
“I want to commend Jonny Dickson for the way he played at both ends, guarding Irby and (Reid) Olson, and Brandon Watson did a good job defensively, too. We need to start showing the desire to make more plays as a team. That’s what will determine if we win or lose, the little things.”
Evanston will host a girls-boys varsity doubleheader when the CSL South division schedule resumes on Friday. The girls contest will start at 6 p.m., with the boys game to follow.
