Upset Win Lifts Kit Girls To Tie For CSL South Crown

Approximately one year ago Evanston’s girls basketball team walked off the court in Park Ridge with their heads down after a humiliating 53-18 loss to Maine South.

Friday night, the Wildkits turned the tables and departed with heads up.

Evanston scored a 54-48 upset victory over the state’s No. 9 ranked team and claimed a share of the Central Suburban League South division championship for the first time since 2020.

Coach Brittanny Johnson’s squad bounced back from one of the worst fourth quarter performances in program history --- a scoreless effort the previous week against Glenbrook South --- to hold off the Hawks in the last period and create a final 3-way tie between Maine South, Glenbrook South and the Wildkits (14-9 overall) for the division crown.

Sophomore Charity Bryant stashed in a game-high 22 points and also registered a career-high 8 assists and was backed up by Payton King’s 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Kits, who lost in overtime the first time the two teams met.

Evanston hops out of the frying pan and into the fire with a game Saturday afternoon against the team ranked No. 3 in the last Associated Press Class 4A state poll, once-beaten Waubonsie Valley, on the road. But first Johnson had a chance to reflect on a title run that, to say the least, the veteran head coach didn’t expect.

“After what we went through last year, I just wanted to be competitive this year. I wasn’t thinking about winning the conference, I just didn’t want us to have to go through those running clock games (for slaughter rule losses) again this year, no embarrassing losses. I thought our next step would just be to be competitive --- not a conference championship” she said,

“When we lost to them last year that was the low point of our season. Now this win is the highest point of this season. It’s an incredible feeling, and it shows me we’re headed in the right direction.”

The ETHS coach pointed out that the current squad has shown a knack for not being dragged down by sub-par performances, but instead learn from their mistakes, a unique characteristic for a team whose two best players (sophomore Bryant and junior King) are still underclassmen.

“I was just devastated after that GBS game. We were really bad in that fourth quarter,” Johnson admitted. “But the girls just looked forward to the next game. They understood why they lost, and they were eager to get back out on the court and correct those mistakes next time. That’s what they’ve done all year.”

Evanston built a double digit lead over the hosts midway through the first half, but the Hawks only trailed by four points with just under two minutes to play when Bryant showed some moxie under pressure.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore, who faced double and even triple-team tactics from South’s defenders most of the night, passed out of a double-team to teammate Ella Martin for a layup that gave the winners enough breathing room to score the upset.

“Charity did an incredible job of sharing the basketball tonight,” praised Johnson. “That was a big moment for her, a big play. She played like she was on a mission tonight.

“Charity has been our most consistent player all year. She should be all-conference. She’s one of the best players in the state that people don’t talk about, and if she keeps playing the way she’s playing, that will change.”

Evanston succeeded in a hostile atmosphere, with South’s rowdy student cheering section creating so much noise that it was difficult for the visitors to communicate.

And both head coaches were confined to their seats on the bench in the second half --- per Illinois High School Association guidelines --- after the heated contest and big plays resulted in technicals being assessed to both benches for celebrating plays.

“I hate sitting down during a game. I never do that and I wasn’t at all comfortable,” Johnson pointed out. “And it was so loud --- that’s one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever played in front of --- that they couldn’t even hear me.

“But they didn’t let all of that external stuff affect them. The fire in their eyes, and their composure, said we’re just going to make that next play. They did a great job of executing down the stretch.”

Evanston’s girls, ironically, participated in the first ever CSL crossover championship game between the No. 1 teams in the South and North divisions for girls back in 2020, but won’t get that opportunity next week. For some reason, the tie-breaker criteria is based on point differential, while in case of a tie in boys basketball the spot is usually awarded to the school that has gone the longest without making an appearance.

Maine South will represent the South division in that exhibition contest on Wednesday. Winner of that game is NOT recognized as the official CSL queen.

Evanston and Maine South could meet again at the Class 4A Maine South Sectional tournament. The Wildkits are seeded 5th in the field, behind (in order) Loyola Academy, Maine South, DePaul Prep and Glenbrook South.

The Kits will play in the Glenbrook South regional and face their first postseason test on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. against No. 12 seed Maine West. Winner of that game will meet the GBS-Niles West survivor for the regional title on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.