Wildkits Pass Another CSL South Test

Semester exams can be mentally and physically draining for any high school basketball player, and at this point in the season, you couldn’t blame the members of Evanston’s team if they felt like they were ready for a break.

But before that happened they took care of some unfinished business on Friday night at Beardsley Gym, easing past Glenbrook South 65-43 to remain undefeated in Central Suburban League South division play.

Evanston improved to 8-2 on the season behind a game-high 21 points from guard Dion Lane Jr. and can take a breather now leading up to the Centralia Holiday Tournament set for December 29-31. The Wildkits, who lost to Centralia in the title game at the tournament last year, face Chicago Dyett in the opener at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 29th.

Three days of tests this week created a different school and practice schedule than normal for the Wildkits. But they had plenty of energy against the Titans and were never really threatened while moving to 3-0 in conference play. The winners shot 59 percent (25-of-42) from the field and had no trouble containing a bigger and more physical Titan team on defense.

“You have to understand (as a player) that your days are going to be longer. But you still have to put in the time and study, and look at the scouting reports,” said Evanston head coach Mike Ellis. “We do shorten our practice time down to about 90 minutes, but they were crisp and sharp in practice all this week and came in and maximized the time they had.

“They’re done with school at noon (on test days) so they actually have three hours off to rest, and take a pause, in the middle of the day before they come back for practice. I think it’s more a case of just having a different routine than it is that it’s taxing.”

Lane Jr., who connected on 7-of-11 field goal attempts and had three steals, thought his math test was taxing.

“I don’t know how I did on that one. That was a challenge for me,” Lane confessed. “You can actually get a little lazy during exams because all you want to do is rest. I thought we did a good job of keeping our energy level as a team right where it’s usually at.

“We just tried to stay consistent. During my free periods I tried to watch game film, and if I finished my work in class I’d get on the computer and try to watch, too. We still had to focus and make sure we got shots up (before and after practices).

“I think I’m more engaged (in basketball) this year than last year, and it all started in the summer. It’s about consistency and getting as many (practice) shots up as you can.”

“Dion is having a great year for us,” praised Ellis. “He’s the first one in the gym to work on his game. He plays with such a passion and such energy every day, and that’s great to see, that those work habits are being rewarded.

“Our goal tonight was to win in the paint, because it could have been ugly for us if South was able to punch the ball into the paint all night long. I thought we did a good job playing team defense tonight. You have to play through the physicality against GBS.”

Vito Rocca (14 points) got the Kits off to a strong start by splurging for eight points in the first quarter, then picked up two personal fouls and had to sit out much of the rest of the half. The hosts still led by double digits after Tristen Wilcox tossed in a pair of 3-point shots and burly junior Mekhi Collins knocked a GBS defender down for a layup, a play that produced a standing ovation from the ETHS bench.

Evanston pulled away to a 32-20 halftime lead and increased the advantage to 49-33 after three quarters.

Although outsized at almost every position, the winners out-rebounded GBS and 6-foot-4 junior Tate Schroeder’s defense turned 6-foot-8 South center Jacob Fuller into a mere 3-point shooter. Fuller finished with 14 points and Anthony Dragicevic tallied 9 for the Titans.