Kits Shoot Down Maine South, 84-61

At one point in the first half Tuesday night in Park Ridge, Mike Ellis turned to his fellow coaches on the Evanston bench and remarked that “we have no one who can guard (Panayiotis) Sotos.”

The Wildkits never did manage to keep the Maine South senior guard in check before he fouled out with five and a half minutes left in the game with a game-high 26 points. But the Hawks couldn’t match Evanston’s overall firepower as the visitors pulled away for an 84-61 triumph, their 13th straight victory over the past two years in Central Suburban League South division play.

Evanston, now 12-3 overall and 4-0 in CSL South play, shot a blistering 70 percent from the field against an equally defenseless foe after scoring just six points in the first four minutes of the contest. The Kits were paced by Vito Rocca (20 points, 7 rebounds), Dion Lane Jr. (17 points) and Ben Ojala (11 points) and converted 33-of-47 field goal attempts overall, including a remarkable 25-of-30 from inside the 3-point stripe.

It was a successful 2026 debut for the winners --- at least on offense.

“They enjoy playing on that side of the ball,” said Ellis with a smirk. “Getting a road win is not easy in this league, and we earned this victory. But it’s only a good start if we can improve on what our weaknesses are. January will be a tough month for us because every team we play is ranked in the top 20 or a team that’s capable of winning a sectional.”

Evanston tried four different defenders on the 6-foot-3 Sotos, who scored his 1,000th career point last month and was recognized for that achievement prior to the game for the Hawks (7-8 overall, 0-4 CSL South).

Tuesday, he sank 8-of-18 field goal attempts and went 8-for-12 at the free throw line to keep South within striking distance despite Evanston’s efficiency on offense.

The Hawks trailed 70-55 when Sotos picked up his fifth personal foul --- and a technical to go with it --- so the Wildkits were never in real danger of surrendering the lead. Maine South only had one other player in double figures as Ian Smucker tallied 17, including three 3-point buckets.

But there was enough time remaining on the clock for the hosts to rally if Sotos stayed hot.

“Obviously, the key was that Sotos was in foul trouble in the third quarter and he picked up his other fouls on a couple of trips down the floor in the fourth quarter when they put him back in,” Ellis noted. “That kinda took the wind out of their sails. But it shouldn’t take that for us to play well in a conference game on the road.

“Tonight I was pleased that we took a step forward, because we had many moments where we were not in rhythm and guys made corrections on the fly and scored. They learned from their mistakes in game, and recognized and read where the advantages were for them out there. That was a step forward for us.

“We still haven’t settled in yet to knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which is what it takes to make a (state tournament) run in March. We are still trying to figure that out, and we need that piece.”

Timi Ogunsanya and Dillon Pompey scored a combined 8 points in 66 seconds in a flurry to close out the first quarter and the Kits closed to within 16-15 after that slow start. A 10-0 spurt early in the second period included a pair of baskets by Rocca, who registered 8 points in the quarter, and Tristen Wilcox delivered some unexpected offense off the bench and boosted the visitors to a 41-34 halftime advantage by scoring 7 straight points of his own.

It was Ojala’s turn to shine in the third quarter. He notched 11 points in those 8 minutes, including a 14-foot jumper to stretch the lead to 64-51 following Sotos’ fourth personal, an offensive foul drawn by Wilcox.

Evanston will host New Trier in a girls-boys basketball doubleheader on Friday at Beardsley Gymnasium.