Kits Demolish Maine East With 3-Point Barrage

The sample size is too small for Mike Ellis to describe this as the best group of shooters he’s coached so far at Evanston.

But if the Wildkits keep up this torrid pace on offense, the head coach might finally come around.

Evanston knocked down 16 3-point field goals --- one shy of the school record --- and demolished Maine East 98-42 in a Saturday matinee at Beardsley Gym to move to 9-1 on the season.

It’s the second time this season the Kits have connected on that many long range shots in a single game and reinforced what coaches throughout the state of Illinois preach to their players, about how making the “extra pass” can lead to better looks at the basket.

Not convinced? Evanston was credited with 29 assists as a team while shooting 39-of-65 from the field against the helpless Blue Demons. Eight different ETHS players scored from 3-point range as part of an overall 16-of-31 effort from deep.

Most high school teams would settle for a percentage like that from 2-point range.

“It’s the passing, not the shooting, that stands out to me,” Ellis declared. “If you can generate that kind of unselfishness, that willingness to move and to share the ball and hit the open man like we did today, that’s how you shoot a better percentage.

“We have lots of weapons on the floor no matter which (lineup) combinations we use. That means other teams can’t load up against any one player. I see all of those different combinations every day in practice so there’s nothing new about seeing it in a game. We have confidence in our shooters no matter what lineup we put out there.

“But we still have a long way to go as a team. We’re just getting started.”

Season-high performances from seniors Theo Rocca (21 points in 19 minutes) and George Richardson (19 points) and double digit efforts from sophomore Dion Lane Jr. (17) and freshman Ben Ojala (13) lit the fuse for those offensive fireworks. The Kits racked up 50 points in the first half and eclipsed the 90-point plateau as a team for the fourth time this season.

Ojala, who earned just his second varsity start due to a shoulder injury that kept guard Kaidan Chatham on the bench, fired in eight points in the first quarter and Rocca (21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) stashed in 12 in the period that ended with ETHS on top 25-11.

It never got any closer and the running clock was in effect for the entire fourth quarter. Maine East (2-8) was never a threat despite a game-high 27 points from Brandon Schreiber, who converted 10-of-11 attempts at the free throw line and 7-of-14 from the field.

Ojala’s hot start found the first-year player connecting on his first three shot attempts, a welcome change for one of the few Kits who has struggled as a shooter.

“Ben is a player who is one of the tops in our rotation,” said Ellis. “That injury to Kaidan opened the door for him to start, and today he let the game just come to him like he should. That’s when he’s at his best, when he lets his talent take over instead of pressing out there.

“As a freshman, he doesn’t want to let people down and he wants to show people he belongs on the varsity. The thing that’s great about Ben is that he has such a level head on his shoulders.”

As usual, Ellis turned the fourth quarter (with the clock running due to the Illinois High School Association 30-point slaughter rule) over to the reserves. They responded with an 18-point outburst that included a couple of 3-point buckets by Miles Ross, one from Emmett Sehgal, and a thunderous breakaway dunk by Monte Dillard Jr. before time ran out.

Evanston will return to the Centralia Holiday Tournament on December 26th for the 12:45 p.m tourney opener against Chicago Bogan. Since joining the field there in 2017, the Wildkits have placed (in order) fifth, third, first, second, second and third.

“I see our (strength of) schedule picking up now. The competition in Centralia will be tougher,” Ellis warned. “And I’ll put our January schedule up against anyone else’s, too. We want to lean on the base we’ve built over the past four weeks as building blocks, and just continue to grow as a team.”