Kits Can't Score, But Neither Can GBN

Ryan Ivory came off the bench in the fourth quarter, shot three air balls, and rebounded his own misses for layups all three times.

That’s the kind of night it was Friday for Evanston’s basketball team in the home opener at Beardsley Gymnasium.

The Wildkits overcame a dismal offensive performance, shooting 27 percent from the floor, and stifled Glenbrook North with relentless defense to score a 38-29 victory in the Central Suburban League South division opener for both schools.

The combined total of 67 points marked the lowest scoring game for a Mike Ellis-coached team since he took over the program at ETHS. The previous low was in January of 2023, when the Wildkits defeated Maine South by a 42-26 margin.

It was as if someone forgot to take the lids off the baskets at both ends for the home debut. Guard Kaidan Chatham carried the offensive load for the winners with 15 points, and was the only player on either team to reach double figures.

Evanston, now 5-0 on the season, racked up an astonishing 23 offensive rebounds and was never really in danger of surrendering an early double digit lead. But all those misses kept Glenbrook North (3-2) in the game.

“We missed a lot of good looks tonight,” said Ellis, a coach who definitely appreciates good defense no matter who plays it. “Call it a survival type of game for us. The fact that we ran out our (good) defense in our first home game was a good thing, or it likely would have come down to the last couple of possessions.

“It was just one of those conference games where everybody knows everybody. There are no easy nights in this conference. GBN did a great job of playing hard and give them credit. They made us miss and forced us to shoot a low percentage.

“If there was one bright spot, it was that our inability to finish off shots (on offense) didn’t carry over to the defensive end. We did a good job not being frustrated by all those shots that were in --- and out. Our lead guards, Kaidan and Ian (Peters), did a great job on the ball and set the tone for us on defense. Our first half defense was pretty solid.”

Chatham’s early scoring spurt --- he registered 11 points in the first quarter that ended with the score Chatham 11, GBN 0 --- turned out to be the difference, forcing the Spartans into catch-up mode in a game where they couldn’t even get off a shot most of the first half. They only attempted 11 shots from the floor and turned the ball over 7 times, although they did manage to close to within 19-12 by the halftime intermission.

The Kits mustered just two baskets in the first four minutes of the third period --- transition dunks by George Richardson and Chatham --- and Ellis opted to try something different in the final period with his team nursing a 27-15 advantage.

Chatham was the only starter on the floor at the start of the final period and soon he joined the other starters on the bench. The reserve unit of Ivory, freshman Ben Ojala, Dion Lane Jr. and Jayden Rodriguez played most of the minutes with the outcome still in doubt. The Spartans did close to within eight points when the starters returned to the court leading 35-23.

“We only scored two points for six or seven minutes in the third quarter and we needed some offense,” Ellis explained. “The guys who came off the bench for us were just as productive as the starters tonight. More or less, we did it because we were trying to find some offense.

“Ryan (Ivory) did a good job of sticking with it underneath and it was good to see him finish off those shots. He had an opportunity tonight, and it will come down to if he can make the most of his opportunities when it comes to playing time. He’s had a good three weeks of practice, he’s working really hard, and our lineup isn’t set in stone. It’s a matter of who shows up ready to play on a given night. This year we don’t have to stick with just 6 or 7 guys no matter how they’re playing. We can go down the bench and play more guys when they’re needed this year.”

ETHS shot just 16-of-58 from the field, including 3-of-19 from 3-point range, but out-rebounded the Spartans 36-21 as Richardson claimed 8 rebounds and Chatham contributed 7.

Glenbrook North’s shooting wasn’t much better at 37 percent, or 11-of-30. The losers committed 14 turnovers and were led by point guard Nate Fridman’s 9 points.

Evanston is back in action Saturday for a 2 p.m. matinee game versus La Lumiere of LaPorte, Ind.