Wildkits Hold Off Deerfield In Conference Opener

When the Illinois High School Association agreed to implement a shot clock for the 2026-27 season, no one was happier than Mike Ellis.

But when the Central Suburban League decided to get the jump on the rest of the state --- and implement the 35-second clock for boys and girls varsity league games only this season --- it almost became a classic case of “be careful what you wish for, you might get it” for the Evanston basketball coach.

After building an impressive 20-point lead at halftime Friday night at Deerfield, the Wildkits had to hold on in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minutes of the division opener. The defending champs prevailed 52-45 after netting just two baskets in the entire second half.

Junior Tate Schroeder and sophomore Ben Ojala both converted a pair of bonus free throws in the final 16 seconds as the visitors knocked Deerfield (5-1) from the unbeaten ranks. Evanston, now 4-1 overall, travels to Waukegan Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. non-conference matchup.

Vito Rocca scored a game-high 17 points and Ojala added 11 for the Kits. Evanston’s defense limited Dartmouth-bound 6-foot-8 Deerfield senior Jake Pollack to 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor and the Warriors also got double figure contributions from Evan Nagler (12) and Tommy Donahue (10).

Evanston has participated in games over the past five years, usually at shootout events, where the shot clock was used by special permission of the IHSA. Considering that the Wildkits converted all 14 of their free throw attempts Friday night, however, the second half might have produced a totally different outcome under regular circumstances.

Ellis wouldn’t argue that point.

“I have to commend all the athletic directors in the CSL for putting in the shot clock this year,” said the veteran coach. “Otherwise, up 20 points like we were at halftime, we’d probably have held the ball more and it would have been a pretty boring last 16 minutes of the game.

“I’m so grateful they put the shot clock in. It would have been sad for this year’s seniors not to get to experience it --- they’d miss an opportunity to grow --- and the younger kids will get some good experience with it this year, too.

“We talked a lot this week about getting off to a better start and we came ready to play tonight, so props to our guys. We did a great job defensively in the first half. Every team has a best player, and every team has a second best player, and what we try to do is disrupt what they’re trying to do in the framework of their offense. The more times you can do that, the better your chance for success.”

Stopping Pollack required a team effort and the Wildkits obliged in unusual fashion. Seldom-used 6-foot-6, 270-pound junior Mekhi Collins held Pollack scoreless --- with a lot of help from his friends --- in about 10 minutes of relief of starter Rocca, and when Rocca fouled out with 1 minute, 57 seconds remaining, it was Schroeder who drew the assignment to cover a player four inches taller than him with the game on the line.

With ETHS leading just 48-45, the Kits committed a shot clock violation against an energetic Deerfield defense and the Warriors had a chance to tie with 50 seconds left on the regular clock.

But when Pollack tried a 3-point shot from the top of the key, Schroeder was there to challenge the shot and it came up short.

Schroeder chased down the rebound in the left corner and was fouled. He swished both free throw attempts and, after another Deerfield miss, Ojala put the game out of reach.

“I didn’t put Mekhi back in because we still needed more offense at that point,” Ellis explained. “Having Tate in there gave us a better chance to score. And Aiden Payne was playing so well for us on defense (doubling down on Pollack whenever he got the ball in the low post) that we didn’t need more support on defense.”

For Schroeder, it was a chance to atone for a missed dunk in the third quarter, one of a number of empty possessions for the Wildkits on offense. As a team, they shot just 2-for-21 in the second half and didn’t score a single basket in the fourth quarter.

“That miss really got into my head. The ball just slipped out of my hands,” Schroeder said. “After that I was thinking too much and going too fast out there.

“I know I made a lot of mistakes tonight. Hopefully, I wanted to take him (Pollack) out of the game and make some of the others make some plays. After he shot that ball, I knew from watching film that he follows every shot so I knew I had to get that rebound before he did and make a play for OUR team.”

A torrid start by Rocca, who netted 15 points in the first half while also keeping Pollack in check, fueled the visitors to leads of 19-12 and 40-20 at the quarter breaks. Rocca sank the first five shots he attempted, including a pair of 3-pointers, to help the Kits avenge their only conference loss from a year ago.