Turnovers Haunt Girls Hoops In First Two Conference Games

By Paul Harris-Hertel

One of the Evanston Township High School girls basketball team's first two conference losses was close. The other one wasn't. But turnovers were the common culprit in each defeat.

The Wildkits had 18 turnovers in a 49-34 loss to top-10-ranked Maine South and turned the ball over 21 times in a 48-44 loss to Glenbrook South. With those losses, both at home, the girls fell to 2-6 on the season.

One might expect a lot of mistakes from an Evanston team that features two sophomores and a freshman in prominent roles. But head coach Steve Wool refused to use the team's youth as an excuse for the errors.

"Our expectations are that we can handle the pressure," said Wool. "We've got to try to learn each time out so we're not making the same mistakes."

In Friday's game against GBS, junior Kim Davis led the Wildkits with 15 points. She also gave the team a spark her coach believed was sorely missed when she went to the bench in the second quarter.

"Kim had a phenomenal all-around game for us, [but] when she got in foul trouble and we had to sit her, our energy level dropped and they went on a big run," Wool said.

The Titans outscored the Kits 20-6 in the second frame to take a nine-point halftime lead. Danielle Bemoras keyed the run for the Titans, with nine of her game-high 18 points coming in the second quarter.

Evanston clawed back into the game in the second half. Three-pointers by junior Darcell Retreage (6 points) and sophomore Collier Clegg (6 points) helped the Kits go on a 10-4 run to start the second half and cut their deficit to one.

The Wildkits had a chance to win when they took a one-point lead in the fourth quarter on Davis' steal and subsequent three-point play. But Bemoras answered with a jumper to put GBS back on top and a costly Evanston turnover on the next possession sealed the Kits' fate.

Last Tuesday, Maine South scored the first ten points of the game and led 25-15 at halftime.

Nine Evanston turnovers in the third quarter helped the Hawks stretch their lead to 19 heading into the fourth, effectively ending any hopes the Wildkits had for an upset.

Retreage hit three three-pointers against Maine South and led Evanston with 13 points, and Davis added 10 points. Ashley Tomzik scored 15 to lead the Hawks.

Adding injury to insult, freshman Seanicia Gibson hurt her knee in the second quarter against Maine South. Gibson is scheduled to have her knee scanned this week, but Wool said after the GBS game that he expects her to be out a minimum of two weeks.

The girls resume play Friday night at Niles West.

ETHS Scoreboard

Boys basketball
12/1- Evanston 58, Highland Park 49
12/5- Evanston 59, Maine South 50
12/8- Evanston 79, Glenbrook South 34
12/9- Thornton 62, Evanston 47
12/10- Crane 65, Evanston 58
Girls basketball
12/1- Evanston 78, Washington 73 (2 OT)
12/2- St. Ignatius 48, Evanston 38
12/5- Maine South 49, Evanston 34
12/8- Glenbrook South 48, Evanston 44
Wrestling
12/2- Wauconda Quad
Evanston d. Wauconda, 36-32
Crystal Lake Central d. Evanston, 36-30
Evanston d. Elgin, 54-13
12/8- Evanston d. Niles West, 43-21
12/9- Evanston Tri Meet
Evanston d. Zion-Benton, 62-6
Evanston d. Proviso East, 34-26
Girls gymnastics
12/2- Niles North 123.25, Evanston 119.45
Naomi Katz, 1st place all-around, 33.35
12/9- Glenbrook North Invite: 93.6, 8th place out of 9 teams
Top performers: Naomi Katz, 32.65, Emma Katz, 31.1
Boys swimming
12/1- Fenwick 105, Evanston 80
12/8- Naperville Central 106,
Evanston 80

Boys Basketball Beats GBS, Stumbles Against Thornton

By Paul Harris-Hertel

The ETHS boys basketball team's stifling press defense keyed a 79-34 trouncing of Glenbrook South on Friday.

But just one night later, the Kits found themselves on the other end of a lopsided score, when they lost 62-47 to a high-flying Thornton team at home. With the loss, Evanston's record is 7-2.

According to Wildkit head coach Robert Locke, the outcome of the two games was interrelated.

"The toughest thing is having a blowout win before playing Thornton," Locke said. "Our guys were so hyped up for [the Thornton] game, their adrenaline was so high, they didn't get a second wind."

The Wildcats jumped out to 21-point halftime lead, as Evanston managed only five field goals in the first half. The Kits trailed by as many as 31 in the second half before a 16-1 third-quarter run brought them back in the game.

Senior Devrce Brown, who led the Kits with 16 points, scored eight points during that run, and fellow senior DiPanjot Singh tallied six of his 11 points in the scoring spell that cut the Wildkit deficit to 16.

The Kits eventually cut the Thornton lead to 10 in the fourth on a jumper by junior Zach Morton (6 points). But the Wildcats responded by outscoring Evanston 10-5 down the stretch to hold on for the win. Mustapha Farrakhan scored a game-high 23 for Thornton.

"We didn't attack the basket until the second half," Locke said. "I told the guys, ‘The kind of effort you gave to get back in the game, if you'd given that effort from the beginning, we're talking about a potential win.'"

Despite the loss, Locke was encouraged not only by what he saw from his team in the second half, but what he saw in the locker room after the game.

"There was no pride after a game like this last year," the coach explained. "[Tonight] guys were apologizing to me. They felt like they let me down, like they let each other down."

Thornton was the first of several teams among the area's elite on the Wildkits' non-conference schedule. But, said Locke, "you play this schedule to get ready for conference. Winning conference is the important thing."

Evanston took two steps in that direction last week, beating host Maine South by nine on Tuesday, and clobbering Glenbrook South by 45 at home three nights later.

The difference in margin of victory was no accident, as the boys saw film of the mistakes they made against Maine South playing at the team dinner before the GBS game.

"There's nothing like seeing what someone's saying" to get you to correct mistakes, said Locke.
The Kits must have been paying attention, because their press wreaked havoc against Glenbrook South. The Evanston players used their advantages in length and athleticism to force turnovers in the Titans' backcourt that they quickly turned into points.

"On defense we want to press, on offense we want to slow it up," Locke explained. "We can stretch the game out if we score two points and get a stop, score two points and get a stop. We did that tonight."

Brown scored 14 of his 19 points in the first quarter, knocking down three three-pointers in the process. Singh added 18 points, 10 of which came in a third quarter in which the Kits outscored GBS by 21 and broke the game wide open.

Evanston lost to Crane 65-58 at the Chicago Public Schools Shootout on Sunday. The Kits played Tuesday night at home against Senn after the RoundTable went to press.

Kits' Gridiron Star Golding Chooses Purdue

By Paul Harris-Hertel

Evanston senior defensive end Nickcaro Golding was recruited by several Division I football programs, but last week committed to Purdue.

The 6'5", 220-pound Golding also had offers from Colorado, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the recruiting website scout.com.

Golding only started playing football his junior year of high school. But his speed and potential quickly made him an attractive recruit, and many believe his best football is ahead of him.

Golding is the second Wildkit football player to commit to a Division I school. Earlier this year, senior Michael Bolden committed to Northwestern, where he will play defensive back.