Mike Ellis found out just how strong Vito Rocca could be on the basketball court last year when he tried to fight through a screen set by the 6-foot-5 freshman during a practice drill.
“I thought I dislocated my shoulder,” the Evanston head coach recalled.
Ian Miletic learned that same lesson Saturday night.
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Rocca’s physicality limited the Rolling Meadows All-State candidate to just 10 points as the Wildkits captured the championship of the Fenton Thanksgiving Tournament with a 59-54 decision over the Mustangs.
Rocca outscored the 6-foot-8 Division I recruit Miletic --- who will play next year at Marquette University --- by a 14-10 margin and the Wildkits fought off a desperate fourth quarter comeback by the two-time defending tournament champions.
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No school in the history of the tourney, which began in 1986, has been able to score a 3-peat and that streak is intact after defenders Rocca and Jayden Rodriguez took Miletic out of the contest in the first half. Miletic had more turnovers (3) than points (1) in the first half and only got off a couple of field goal attempts as Evanston seized a 34-18 advantage.
And when Rolling Meadows closed the gap late in the fourth quarter, senior guard Ian Peters converted 6-of-8 free throw attempts in the final 2 minutes, 17 seconds for the new champs.
The younger Rocca brother led the Kits in scoring with his career best effort on offense, heading a balanced attack that also featured Timi Ogunsanya (10 points), all-tournament selection Kaidan Chatham (9 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), George Richardson (8 points) and tournament MVP Theo Rocca (7 points, 6 rebounds).
Evanston, now 4-0, breezed through the first two games of pool play at the tournament and Ellis didn’t mind the fact that his squad finally faced some adversity in the second halves of games against Mid-Suburban League foes Fremd (71-60 win on Friday) and Rolling Meadows.
“We were close to making them quit (in the first half). Now we understand what it takes for us when other teams get desperate,” said the veteran coach. “We needed that adversity. There were a lot of teachable moments out there in the final four minutes, and it always feels better for a coach when you get those moments in a win.
“Vito Rocca played an outstanding game tonight. He’s always in the right place at the right time and he might be the most dependable player on our team. He has good size --- and it’s not easy to score on a brick wall like Vito. He’s very physical, and when he doesn’t want to move, he doesn’t move. I found that out last year when I thought I could shove him out of the way during that drill in practice.”
Rocca and Co. couldn’t contain Miletic forever, and he notched 9 points during the second half comeback by Meadows. He only shot 3-of-10 from the floor, and the losers were led by guard Jack Duffer’s 15 points. Both players were named to the all-tourney team.
Rocca didn’t want all of the credit for stopping Miletic.
“It was definitely a group effort, with me and Jayden (Rodriguez). I couldn’t do it alone,” said the sophomore forward. “I just tried to be physical and take away his go-to shots. He’s a great player and I really enjoyed the challenge tonight. I’m proud of the way I played him.
“My role has grown a lot since last year, and I have more confidence because I spent a lot more time in the weight room. Coach Feldner (Mark) pushed us more and it’s really helped my physicality. I understand that I have to play bigger and more physical this year.
“It means a lot to win this tournament because we were not able to win it last year (third in the school’s first appearance in Bensenville). This will give us more confidence and more momentum going into the rest of the season now. And now that we’ve got the ball rolling, I’m confident we can keep it up. We have a lot of good team chemistry and that’s the real reason for our success.”
ETHS still enjoyed a 43-29 advantage at the beginning of the final period, then turned the ball over seven times and the Mustangs used an 11-2 spurt to close within 49-43 with three minutes left in the game. They scored the last two on a pair of free throws that Miletic earned in a collision with Theo Rocca, and with their senior captain shaken up and taking a seat on the bench for the final stretch, the Kits had to dig deep to stay on top.
Peters delivered at the charity stripe, along with Chatham (3-for-4) and Ogunsanya (2-for-2).
“Ian was really good in those situations at the end,” praised Ellis. “With Theo out he said I have to be the stabilizing force --- and that’s what he was.”
Evanston shot 53 percent (19-of-36) from the field compared to 43 percent (19-of-44) for the losers.
On Friday, Theo Rocca showed the way with his first double-double of the season, a 20-point, 10-rebound effort versus Fremd. Richardson contributed 16 points and 7 boards in the final round of pool play.
“This is a good start to the season for us,” Ellis declared. “These guys have all worked really hard since practice started and it’s so good to see them play better and better each time out. It’s good for them to be rewarded like this.
“So here we are. Now what? Now we have to build on this.”
The Wildkits will open Central Suburban League South division play next Friday at home against Glenbrook North. They’ll host LaLumiere of Indiana on Saturday at 3 p.m.
