Kits Find No Reason To Rush In Slaughter Rule Victory

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden always told his teams to be quick --- but don’t hurry.

It’s a lesson that needs to be refreshed in the minds of some high school basketball players these days, even decades after the Bruins put together their dynasty.

In a rush to start fast and register a conference road win, Evanston turned the ball over five times in the first period at Glenbrook North Friday night.

But once the Wildkits slowed down and settled in, the Spartans had no shot.

Already leading 30-17 at halftime, ETHS pulled away in the second half for a 71-41 slaughter rule victory and stayed hot on the heels of a vaunted New Trier squad in the Central Suburban League South division title chase.

The visitors only missed three field goal attempts and turned the ball over once in the second half to complete a regular season sweep of GBN. Theo Rocca fired in five 3-point field goals in a row in the third period and finished with a game high 15 points for the winners, and teammates George Richardson (11 points, 6 rebounds), Ian Peters (10 points, 3 assists) and Vito Rocca (10 points, 6 rebounds) joined him in double figures.

Kaidan Chatham contributed 7 points and 7 assists as the Kits improved to 16-3 overall and 4-1 in division play.

Evanston’s 8-0 run to close out the first half was actually the beginning of the end for the host team, now 10-8 and 1-5, respectively. That’s when the rush hour really stopped for ETHS.

“They had a good night tonight. They were focused, and they were locked in,” said Evanston head coach Mike Ellis. “Our message to them (after Tuesday’s big win at Niles North) was to stop being satisfied. We got into the (game) tape Wednesday and spent half of our practice working on cerebral development.

“There were moments in that game like the first half tonight, where we went too hard and sped things up too much. When we slowed down we got way better results. When we’re playing too much in a hurry like that, I think we’re playing right into the other team’s hands. Our strength is our versatility and we have to make sure we don’t turn the ball over (11 times in the first half) and get good, quality shots.

“It’s unlikely that all five of our guys will be miserable on offense.”

That’s what happened the first time the two teams met, an otherwise forgettable 38-29 Evanston win at Beardsley Gym. Friday, the Kits shot a sizzling 72 percent (23-of-32) from the field, a performance that included a red-hot 13-of-17 marksmanship from 3-point range.

GBN shot just 33 percent (14-of-43) on its home court and was led by Jordan Cohen with 12 points. Evanston put the running clock (30-point lead) into effect with six minutes to play after only leading 11-5 at the first quarter break.

Rocca, the senior sharpshooter, called for a heat check in the third period when he lit up the North defense by swishing five 3-point attempts in a row. The senior co-captain’s on-target shooting was no surprise to Ellis.

“I usually beat him to the gym, but he’s there four or five days a week at 5:30 a.m. in addition to our practices,” said the veteran coach. “I thought our guys did a good job of recognizing that Theo was hot, and they got him the ball. That’s an advancement in thinking the game.

“It’s no surprise to me. I’ve seen Theo make 10 in a row and he’s capable of that in every game. He loves the game of basketball and he wants to make the investment and get the most out of it. He’s just a kid who loves basketball.”

Rocca’s outburst came after that 8-0 run to end the second half on 3-point buckets by Peters and Dion Lane Jr., plus a back-door basket by Chatham with Peters earning the assist. That stretched the lead to 30-17, and Wildkits extended the advantage to 54-32 by the end of the third period.

Evanston plays three games next week. The Kits travel to Loyola Academy on Tuesday for a girls-boys doubleheader, host Deerfield next Friday, and will play in the Redbird Shootout at Metamora against the host school next Saturday.