No one could guard Maine South’s Panayiotis Sotos in the first half of Friday’s Central Suburban League South division basketball game at Beardsley Gym.
But in the second half, it was Evanston senior Timi Ogunsanya who was the real game-changer.
Burdened by two personal fouls that forced him to sit out most of the first half, Ogunsanya erupted for 20 points in the second half and rallied the champs to a 71-60 victory over the Hawks.
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It was a tale of two halves for an ETHS squad that is still missing leading scorer and rebounder Vito Rocca, and came out a little flat after having already clinched the division title earlier in the week. The hosts actually trailed by six points at halftime (31-25) before regrouping and pulling away to their 18th league win in a row.
Now 22-4 overall, the Kits came to life in the second half as Ogunsanya connected on 7-of-8 field goal attempts and finished with 24 points. Ben Ojala (13 points, 3 assists), Tate Schroeder (10 points) and Dion Lane (10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) helped the hosts snap out of it in the second half.
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Sotos fired in 12-of-23 shots from the floor and finished with a game-high 33 points, but was held to just four field goals in the second half for a Maine South (12-14 overall, 2-7 CSL South) team that earlier in the season had knocked off New Trier.
The Hawks had their way with ETHS in a lackluster first half that found the winners connecting on just 44 percent (11-of-25 from their shots).
And a brief power outage that doused the gym lights in the second half might have been attributed to Ogunsanya, who was close to unstoppable on offense.
“No, you can’t blame us for that one. We didn’t shoot lights out tonight,” said Evanston head coach Mike Ellis. “We just didn’t have any rhythm in that first half. Maine South came out more desperate to win than we did. That doesn’t happen to us very often. I told them at halftime that it was all about accountability, that the coaches had prepared them to win and now it’s on you.
“We just had to find a way to play like we were 10 points down. In that second half, we did a better job of recognizing matchups and playing downhill. We did a better job of getting some inside action (scores in the paint) along with the outside action.
“We were a little embarrassed by that first half, so we put our foot down and did something about it.”
Ogunsanya, a 6-foot-4 senior, drew the unenviable task of trying to keep Sotos in check and drew two fouls to earn a seat on the bench next to Ellis until just before halftime. But he returned to start the second half surge with a short jumper and a 3-pointer in transition, sparking a 17-4 run by the host team to build a 42-35 advantage. The Hawks stayed close at 47-43 by the end of that period, and pulled to within 49-47 on a 16-foot jumper by Sotos with six minutes left on the clock.
That was as close as it got. Lane fired in a 3-point shot --- one of just 7 triples on the night for the winners --- and three straight free throws by Ogunsanya, plus a steal and layup on an inbound pass for the senior standout, was the beginning of the end for the Hawks.
Evanston forced nine turnovers in the second half by employing a rarely-used full-court press and the Hawks couldn’t keep up.
“Once we started getting to the free throw line we were able to set up our full-court defense,” Ellis said. “It was easier for us to get the ball out of Sotos’ hands then and we were able to extend our defense. That was a big piece for generating a lead for us.”
The Wildkits also got some help from their bench when the outcome was still in doubt. Senior guard Tristen Wilcox, the smallest player on the floor at 5 feet-8 inches, yanked down four clutch rebounds in the fourth quarter and added a steal and an assist. Junior Aiden Payne splashed 3-point tries in the second and third quarters just when the Wildkits needed an offensive boost.
“Tristen is fearless. He’ll always battle you,” said Ellis. “And Aiden played well besides hitting a couple of shots tonight.”
Evanston plays its final home game of the season Saturday at 3 p.m. against a Warren team that finished second in the Class 4A state tournament last year and is led by junior guard Jaxson Davis, regarded as the best player in the state by some experts. Warren currently sports a 22-2 won-loss record and is ranked No. 4 in the latest Associated Press state poll.
