Unbeaten Loyola Denies Kit Girls With Buzzer Beater

Time should have run out on the No. 1 ranked girls basketball team in the state of Illinois in the fourth quarter Tuesday night at Beardsley Gymnasium.

Or somebody owes Evanston head coach Brittanny Johnson an explanation, at least.

Game officials put 8-10ths of a second back on the clock --- after a rebound trickled out of bounds and landed on the floor as the buzzer went off --- and Loyola Academy’s Clare Weasler scored a layup on the subsequent inbound pass that lifted the unbeaten Ramblers to a 65-63 victory.

A gritty performance that should have at least resulted in a chance for the hosts to win in an overtime period wasn’t enough to prevent Evanston’s 10th loss in a row. But the Wildkits, now 9-13 overall, almost shocked the high school basketball world.

And with the Illinois High School Association Class 4A sectional tournament seeding meeting set for next week, you can bet that the winners have their fingers crossed that they won’t be on the same side of the bracket with Evanston now.

Senior guard Zuri Ransom, who missed 8 games in that losing string with a concussion, dropped in a jump shot from the free throw line with 13 seconds remaining in regulation to pull the Kits into a 63-63 tie.

And when Loyola’s Aubrey Galvan (team high 23 points) missed a short jumper and the ball headed out of bounds, fans settled in to see if the hosts could pull off the upset in overtime.

That’s when the Ramblers got one more chance --- and made the most of it to improve to 27-0 on the season.

It was the latest in a stretch of close defeats for the Wildkits, who are in the midst of playing the toughest schedule in program history. Five of the losses in the current streak have been by margins of fewer than six points.

This one might have been the toughest to take for Johnson.

“I’m still trying to get an explanation as to why they got the ball back and put 8-10ths on the clock,” said the ETHS coach. “That ball went out of bounds and the clock stopped. It’s just incredibly frustrating.

“Both teams deserved to win. I’m not a big person for moral victories, and we really needed a win tonight. Luck was just in their favor on that last possession.”

Evanston’s senior trio of Ransom (13 points), Kailey Starks (25 points, 9 rebounds) and Arianna Milam-Pryor (18 points) didn’t back down at any point Tuesday against the in-your-face defense the Ramblers use to pile up turnovers and speed up most of their opponents.

But Weasler’s buzzer beater at the end made the difference.

“On the inbound play at the end, the kids didn’t know if we were in zone or man-to-man because of the confusion,” said Johnson. “That’s on me because I was looking for an explanation, and no one would give it to me.

“Someone told me that we’ve played the fourth toughest schedule in the state this year --- and we’ve been in every single game but two of them. We had a lot of kids step up and make plays tonight. This was a total team effort. It’s a tough one to swallow, but a game like this could be the catalyst to push us when we get into the (state) playoffs.”

Evanston needed baskets by Ransom and Milam-Pryor in the final minute to stay within striking distance of the Ramblers, down 34-28 at halftime. Loyola stretched that advantage to 46-36 on a 3-point shot by Marycait Mackie with 3 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the third period following a lengthy delay in which Ransom and Milam-Pryor both had to change jersey numbers because blood was detected on their uniforms.

Different uniforms, same guts. The Wildkits refused to roll over and drew to within 51-47 after Ransom converted a technical free throw whistled against Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker.

A 3-point shot from the left corner by newcomer Havana Van Wyk, her only points of the game, rallied the Wildkits to a 52-51 lead and was part of a 10-2 Evanston run to start the quarter. Milam-Pryor --- wearing No. 34 now instead of No. 24 --- sank a pair of free throws with 4:23 to play to make it 57-53 in favor of the hosts.

But the Kits couldn’t hold on.

“In these last 9 games we as a coaching staff have learned a lot about putting players in their best positions to succeed, and I think we’re getting better every game,” said Johnson. “I thought Jaylah (freshman Jaylah McClure-Calvin) did a helluva job against one of the best point guards in the state (Galvan). That girl scored a lot of points, but she had to work for every one of those points. Jaylah showed a lot of heart tonight.”

Van Wyk, a 5-foot-11 inch sophomore, earned her first varsity start after arriving from Australia in December. Her father moved the family from Down Under for business reasons and Johnson believes Van Wyk could be an impact player in the program at some point.

Her late start --- she actually transferred in during what would have been the summer season in Australia --- means the blonde sophomore has some catching up to do.

“She’s very similar to Lola Lesmond,” noted Johnson, comparing Van Wyk to the French import who played two seasons at ETHS. “She’s a really good shooter and a better ballhandler than Lola was. Any time you get a player like that with international experience, you know they play the game differently than we do here. She reads the game well and she has a lot of confidence.

“We don’t have a lot of kids here who have experience playing at a high level like she does. She has some catching up to do, but I’d love to have more players like that who have focused on fundamentals and passing already (in their careers).”

The Wildkits will host Central Suburban League South division leader Maine South on Friday.