A few nerves could have been expected at the Fenton Thanksgiving Tournament Tuesday, considering that four out of five Evanston basketball players were starting their first varsity games.
But once the Wildkits saw the ball finally go through the net after that ice-cold start, a heat check was definitely in order.
After trailing 8-0 in the first quarter --- and missing 8 of their first 9 field goal attempts --- the Kits settled into the kind of deadly 3-point shooting stroke that Evanston fans may see plenty of in the 2023-24 season as they connected on 11-of-22 tries from long range in a 63-32 rout of Chicago Clemente.
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It’s not often in the high school game that you’ll see a team turn an 8-point deficit around completely into a running clock (slaughter rule) no-contest by the end of the game. That’s what the Kits accomplished in their season debut.
Evanston resumes action in the round-robin tournament on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Wheaton Warrenville South.
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Juniors Theo Rocca (14 points) and Ian Peters (12) led the winners, and a pair of freshmen, Vito Rocca and Dion Lane, contributed 9 points and 8, respectively. Morgan Brown was credited with a game-high 7 rebounds.
Jerrell Taylor of Clemente scored 19 of his team’s 32 points.
“I thought we were really passive on offense and on defense in that first quarter,” said Evanston head coach Mike Ellis. “They know they’re good shooters. But it seemed like they were searching for ‘settle’ shots, instead of attacking the basket. Once we got going around the basket, their starts started falling.
“I thought we lacked intensity at the beginning of the game. But give them credit, because for the next 24 minutes, they put their best effort out on the floor.”
Rocca misfired on his first 5 field goal attempts versus Clemente’s soft 2-3 zone defense before finally connecting on a 3-pointer with 2:07 left in the first half. That was part of a 10-0 ETHS run that lifted the Wildkits from a 13-9 deficit to a 19-13 lead.
Peters added three 3-point baskets in the period --- and also drew a couple of charging fouls --- as the Kits led 23-17 at the half and never looked back.
“I thought we had a little bit of first game jitters,” Rocca admitted. “When I made my first shot it was definitely a sense of relief. I have to make sure I don’t have slow starts like that in the future.
“Our energy was low until we started making some shots. We all know we’re good shooters because we’ve been getting up shots day after day after day (in preseason practice). We have to trust each other enough to know we’ll knock down those shots once we make the extra pass. But making shots can’t be the way you get energy, and you can’t let that affect the way you play defense, either.”
Evanston ended the third period with a 14-0 run that broke the contest open at 44-20. Clemente shot just 30 percent (13-of-43) from the field.
“I know the kids weren’t happy with the way they were playing in that first quarter,” Ellis added. “When the ball finally goes through the basket, your intensity picks up. It happens at every level, in the pros and in college.
“It was a strange feeling watching them not in their element in the first quarter and I was really glad to see them get that rhythm over the last three quarters. They did a great job of executing the set plays we called. They really answered the call and we were able to capitalize on those set plays.”
