Evanston’s basketball team couldn’t get to the free throw line and couldn’t make a layup Friday night in Northbrook.
So much for that 4-game winning streak.
The Wildkits didn’t score a field goal in the last 5 minutes, 30 seconds and bowed to Glenbrook North by a 51-44 margin in a Central Suburban League South division matchup.
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That fourth quarter fade included a 2-for-11 shooting performance down the stretch for the losers, now 15-7 overall and 2-4 in league play. Evanston shot just 32 percent (15-of-47) for the game despite David Gieser’s 13 points and 9 apiece from Isaiah Moore and Prince Adams.
Glenbrook North, which lost to the Kits in overtime when they met earlier in the season, moved to 16-5 overall (4-3 CSL South) behind guards Blake Lidskin and Josh Fridman, who combined for 30 points.
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ETHS head coach Mike Ellis has seen the evolution of basketball switch to where strong guard play is the key to success on every level of play --- high school, college, professional --- and Evanston’s two straight State trophies were definitely a part of that evolution.
That was then. Now, the Wildkits can’t seem to pry the cover off the basket.
“Their guards outplayed our guards tonight,” Ellis admitted. “We had a lot of misses right at the rim, and we didn’t get to the free throw line, either. You have to convert when you get the ball in the paint. We had good shots, so many looks, but you have to have the poise to get fouled and get to the free throw line, instead of shooting those finesse floaters that cost you on the scoreboard.
“We played a solid first half but we got outplayed in the second half. The difference in the game was that their guards outplayed our guards.”
Lidskin led all scorers with 18 points and Fridman, a sophomore, added 12 despite missing 3 free throws in the fourth quarter when the Spartans were trying to put the game on ice. Those offensive performances offset the defensive effort the Kits turned in against North star Ryan Cohen, who mustered just 8 points due to the close attention of Moore and Emery Jones.
Evanston led almost the entire first half but couldn’t pull away from the gritty hosts. A late 3-point basket by Gieser, and Bost’s shot in the lane, gave the visitors a 21-19 edge at halftime.
The Wildkits pushed the margin to 32-26 midway through the third period, but after the “mask” timeout, GBN responded with an 8-0 run and the two teams were deadlocked at 36-all by the end of the period.
Adams’ putback of a missed shot with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter marked the beginning of the end for the Kits. They missed their last 10 field goal tries, mustering only 4 free throws in that span, as the Spartans took control.
Evanston plays Lake Forest Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the annual War On The Shore Shootout hosted by Loyola Academy. The tripleheader also pits New Trier against Rolling Meadows at 1 p.m., and Loyola against Glenbrook South at 4.
