Wildkits Bounce Back, Capture 3rd Place Trophy

CHAMPAIGN --- Third place games at any high school tournament are more a test of character than of skill.

For the last time in the 2024-25 season, Evanston’s basketball team displayed the grit and tenacity that were staples for a squad that came together to register one of the best seasons in school history here Saturday morning at the University of Illinois State Farm Center.

Bouncing back from a disappointing semifinal final loss to the eventual state champions, Benet Academy, ETHS ended the season on a triumphant note by outlasting Rich Township 73-70 in overtime in the Class 4A third place game.

The Wildkits finished 31-6 and fell just one win short of matching the school single season record for victories. They’re responsible for adding to the school’s trophy case with the program’s best State finish since 2019, when the Kits were state runner-up, and are part of a cage legacy that also includes the 1968 state championship, plus a second place finish in 1984, third place efforts in 2008 and 2018, and a fourth in 2003.

Evanston rose to the occasion despite the physical and mental wear and tear that comes following a semifinal loss. The Kits got their offense back on track just 15 hours after shooting 33 percent in a 56-47 loss to a Benet team they had defeated during the regular season, as seniors Theo Rocca (18 points) and George Richardson (17) did most of the damage against Rich.

The weary Wildkits let a seven point advantage at the start of the fourth quarter slip away, then regrouped in the overtime period by outscoring the Raptors 9-6.

“It’s so good to see them go out with a win today, because that’s exactly what they are --- winners on and off the court,” said a proud Evanston head coach, Mike Ellis. “I’ve been so impressed with this group of guys from Day 1 and all the credit in the world goes to them. This team will be legendary for what they’ve done for the Evanston basketball program.

“Only two teams in Class 4A get to win their last game and we wanted to be one of them. They’ve shown such resiliency all year long and it was such a thrill for me to coach them. The bonding they’ve done, and the character they’ve shown, extends to Coach (Mark) Feldner in the weight room, to their teachers in the classroom, and to their families at home.

“The entire town of Evanston can be proud of what they represent.”

The Orange and Blue trailed 66-64 when Rich’s Jayden Williams (game-high 28 points) muscled his way for a layup to start the OT period. Evanston, unfazed, responded with a 7-0 run that featured a clutch 3-point shot by freshman Ben Ojala, Rocca’s basket in the lane, and Richardson’s layup to stretch the lead to 71-66.

The Raptors fought back and closed within 71-70 on a steal and score by Kavon Ammons with 52 seconds remaining. The Kits kept their poise, and Vito Rocca clinched the final win of the season with a drive for a layup and the last score of the contest.

“We didn’t want to come to Champaign and leave here 0-2,” said Theo Rocca, one of four senior starters. “We knew it would be a battle today and I’m really proud of how we never gave up in that stretch run. We wanted to finish with a win, so we got up early this morning and got our work done.”

Ojala netted 10 points and added to his reputation for sinking big shots when the Kits needed them most.

“I didn’t shoot well yesterday, didn’t make any 3s, and I just tried to stay positive today,” he said. “Physically, I am tired, and coming off that big loss was hard. But we still had the mindset that we wanted to go out with a win.”

The new state finals schedule created by the Illinois High School Association to make sure state titles in all four classes were decided on the same day this year led to the early morning scenario Saturday for the 4A semifinal losers. Rich Township, which finished 25-10, was knocked off by Warren in the other semi, but mustered the energy to control the paint for most of the third place contest behind Williams, Al Brooks Jr. (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Kavon Ammons (16 points, 8 rebounds).

Evanston overcame a slow start to post a 16-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and needed a 3-point bucket from sophomore Dion Lane Jr. to cling to a 34-33 lead at halftime.

In the final minute of the third quarter, Ojala knocked down a mid-range jump shot and Theo Rocca swished a 3-point shot from the left wing just before the buzzer to boost ETHS to its biggest lead at 51-44.

The Raptors chipped away with old-fashioned 3-point plays in the paint and the two teams had to work overtime after Ojala came up short on a 3-point attempt on the last possession.

Richardson, the 6-foot-7 transfer from Class 3A champion DePaul Prep, put together two of his best games of the season in Champaign after also scoring 12 points against Benet on Friday night.

He injured his ankle slightly late in the overtime period against Rich and watched anxiously from the bench over the final seconds of the victory.

“It was so much more special for me this year, even though I grew up with all of those guys at DePaul Prep and I love them like brothers there. It was hard for me to leave them,” Richardson said. “For sure, these were two of the better games I’ve played this year. I’m really blessed I got the chance to play at Evanston. It was an awesome experience.

“To be able to battle with these guys five days a week all season was something special. I’d die for these (Evanston) kids. We built a family over a short span of time and I’m so grateful for the way the players and coaches accepted me here. Coach Ellis took a chance on me when no one really knew what I could do (after warming the bench at DePaul) and it means the world to me how much respect the coaches showed me. I just wanted to give it my all for them every day.”

In Friday’s matchup with Benet, the Redwings learned from their previous encounter with Evanston and limited Rocca to 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the floor. Ed Stasys, who missed the regular season game with ETHS due to an injury, paid special attention to the Evanston star and limited his looks at the basket.

Benet edged Warren 55-54 for its first state title in program history late Saturday night. The regular season victory for ETHS, however, meant that the Wildkits scored a unique “double” and became the first team in school history to score wins over TWO state champions in the same season. Evanston also defeated Class 2A champion Chicago Dyett back in December at the Centralia Holiday Tournament.

“Our defense did a tremendous job against Rocca. He’s such a good player,” praised Benet coach Gene Heidkamp after the semifinals. “Our defense has improved so much over the last six weeks, and we showed that tonight.

“We didn’t defend with enough urgency and we didn’t play well offensively the first time we played them. We got a second chance against a really good team, and tonight we competed at a higher level.”

“Benet did a good job of taking us out of our rhythm on offense,” Ellis said. “Obviously we didn’t put our best product out on the floor tonight. Benet was ready to play and I felt like we played tentative on the offensive end. We were never able to score back-to-back or generate any momentum offensively. But I was really impressed with our defensive effort. To be able to stop all of those pieces Benet has was a really nice effort on our part.”

In fact, the Wildkits held Benet scoreless for five minutes and 22 seconds in the second quarter and climbed back to within 20-15 by the halftime intermission thanks to all of those stops, a 3-pointer by Rocca and a pair of field goals from Kaidan Chatham.

Later, Rocca converted a loose ball rebound into a field goal that narrowed the gap to 26-24 with 1:37 remaining in the third period. That was as close as the losers got, however, after they shot just 3-of-12 from the field in that quarter.

Daniel Paulikonis (11 points), Jayden Wright (10) and Blake Fagbemi (10) led a balanced effort for the winners. Fagbemi, a crafty and speedy point guard, also contributed 8 assists, 4 steals and 7 rebounds.

Evanston used the summer season to begin to form the bonds for a team that embraced a brotherhood culture even though the roster was adding two transfers (Richardson and Chatham) and a freshman (Ojala) who figured to take away playing time from others already in the program.

But no one outside the team regarded the Kits as a threat to collect a State trophy in the preseason and they steadily built a successful run, including the championship at the Fenton Thanksgiving Tournament, a second place finish at Centralia and the Central Suburban League South division championship.

There was, however, no real signature win or “ah ha!” moment where the Wildkits woke up the next day thinking about a trip to Champaign.

Or was there? Asked that question separately, three of the Kits responded with answers that had to warm the heart of any teacher like Ellis as they displayed the maturity of teenagers who were able to learn from their mistakes --- and not repeat them.

Co-captain Ian Peters and Richardson both pointed to a debacle at Deerfield when the Wildkits missed 18 straight field goal attempts and suffered a 46-40 loss on December 12th that could have ended up costing them the conference crown.

“We really needed to find ourselves after that loss, and we did it,” said Peters. “We put ourselves in a bad position that night and we had to have tunnel vision and finish strong going forward. I’m really proud of everyone on this team. It was a great team effort all season. The reason we’re here is because we played so well together.

“No one has an ego on this team and I’ve never seen that on any team I’ve been a part of. No one ever pointed fingers or complained.”

“We learned so much from that Deerfield game,” Richardson noted. “After that we just made steady, steady steps. We all played our roles so well and we just let the game come to us instead of forcing things.”

Ojala, the team’s sixth man, and starting forward Vito Rocca will be the players the Wildkits lean on as the building blocks for possible future trips to Champaign. He thought the turning point came in a last-second loss to Centralia in the title game of the Christmas tourney.

“I think that was the moment we thought we can be a really great team,” said Ojala. “We played really well in January (despite a difficult road schedule) and then we played even better in February. I think that loss helped us grow and develop as a team. It was really special for me to play with these guys, and it was a lot of fun, too.”

No one had more fun than Ellis, who said his “ah ha” moment came in a preseason meeting in which some of the players shared their personal family stories at a players-and-coaches only gathering.

“That’s when we got set on this track, talking about the (history) chapters they were going to write this season,” said the coach. “This is what, Season No. 126 in Evanston history? For them to end the story with a chapter that ends with a victory is special.

“As a coach, you want the experience to be a good one and to me the satisfaction comes from the daily grind, not the outcome. It’s the commitment they made to one another and the 11-month journey that was special, not the outcome.

“This was one of our most rewarding seasons. I love the heck out of these guys and I’m grateful to them. They brought a lot of joy to me this season and they lifted us as coaches every single day.”