Evanston owned bragging rights all four years when his older brother Blake went up against New Trier in one of the state’s oldest basketball rivalries.
Ian Peters made sure the Wildkits started a new streak Friday night in Winnetka.
In front of a near capacity crowd at New Trier’s brand new gym, Peters sank two pressure-packed free throws with 16 seconds remaining to halt the Trevians 4-game winning string in the head-to-head matchups between the two neighbors.
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The Wildkits survived two missed 3-point attempts in the final seconds and sent their fans into a court-rushing frenzy with a hard-earned 37-35 Central Suburban League South division triumph.
The taut battle featured hard-nosed defense at both ends of the court. Evanston, now 19-9 on the season and 5-4 in conference action, limited the 3-point-shooting-reliant hosts to just 4-of-16-marksmanship from beyond the arc.
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Evanston junior Theo Rocca rose to the challenge with a game-high 12 points and 8 rebounds and was the only player on either side in double figures. New Trier (22-6 overall, 6-2) was led by Logan Feller and Colby Smith with 9 points apiece, and lost an opportunity to pull into a tie for the conference lead after Glenbrook North was upset by Maine South.
Feller missed an open look from 3-point range in the left corner as the clock ran down and Christopher Kirkpatrick’s air ball at the buzzer sealed the deal for the visitors. Evanston leads the all-time series now with 123 wins to 100 for New Trier.
Peters didn’t actually grow up hating the Trevians. He just grew up expecting Evanston victories whenever the two sides collided.
“I grew up watching my brother beat them all the time,” said Peters, a junior guard. “I respect them, but I definitely enjoy beating them. This means a lot to me.
“I remember when there was about a minute left and we were on defense, just telling my teammates if we got a stop, we’d win the game --- and we did. I felt a little pressure on that first free throw, but I was smiling on the second one because I knew it was good.
“I shoot as many free throws as I can (in 6 a.m. daily workouts before classes at ETHS) and credit to Coach (Mike) Ellis for the free throw drills we have in practice, where we all have to make a certain number or we have to run. That’s what helps build us up to knock them down when it matters the most.”
New Trier still had time for a game-winning shot, but the Kits scrambled to trap the Trevians’ best 3-point shooters (Ian Brown and Smith) and forced someone else to try to beat them.
Feller couldn’t connect with the game on the line.
“Sometimes we’re lacking on offense, but defense is our strength as a team,” Peters added. “When I saw they had a wide open shot, I was a little concerned (at the end). Nothing against Feller, but statistically he’s not their best 3-point shooter. We let the right guy shoot it.”
Feller’s misfire might have been the only actual open look for either team. New Trier shot just 31 percent (11-of-35) as a team and Evanston shot at the same 31 percent clip, at 12-of-39.
The hosts managed just five field goals in the entire second half after leading 19-17 at the intermission. Every possession featured man-to-man, in-your-face defense by both the Trevs and Kits.
“We took better care of the basketball and we were a little more patient than the first time we played them,” Ellis said. ”That’s a team with multi-dimensional, skilled players and they’re hard to guard. But we took good care of the basketball (8 turnovers), made good decisions and really banged on the boards (33-21 rebounding advantage).
“We’re not getting a lot of turnovers this year like we have from our defense in the past. We’ve made some adjustments based on our personnel this year that have allowed us to be a little more stable, and when we play smart, we’ve been a good defensive team.
“Ian deserved to make those free throws. He’s one of those guys who spends an hour and a half before school working on them, and he deserves success because he puts in the time. We were going to try to take the last shot, but Ian got bumped out of bounds and he made them pay for that silly foul.”
Neither team led by more than six points at any point in the defensive duel. New Trier pulled on top 22-17 on a 3-point play by Feller early in the third quarter, but Rocca responded for the visitors by netting 6 of the points in a 7-0 run that helped ETHS earn a 28-25 advantage after three quarters.
New Trier regained the lead three times in the back-and-forth final period, the last time with 1 minute, 52 seconds on the clock when Smith split a pair of free throws. The losers didn’t score again.
Peters also split a pair of free throws, with 72 seconds left in regulation, for a 35-35 deadlock. Rocca’s steal of a pass under the basket at the other end set the stage for the game-winning charity tosses.
