Kit Hockey Close to Title

By Nick Battle

When Jaisen Freeman started coaching Evanston's varsity hockey team three years ago, he inherited a group of players that lacked inspiration and confidence.

After three seasons of encouraging his team to aim high, the Wildkits nearly reached the top.

On March 14 at the Redmond Recreational Center in Bensenville, Freeman marched his Evanston squad into the AHAI state championship to do battle against the mighty Rockford Icemen.

Evanston had previously built up momentum from beating a tough Glenbard North squad 5-3 in the semifinals. When the final buzzer rang at the end of the championship, however, it was the Icemen, and not the Wildkits, who were hoisting the trophy. It capped an end to a season where Evanston proved they could compete with the best in the state.

"I didn't come up with some new way of coaching," Freeman said. "It was really the kids. They stayed with it, even though they weren't winning at first; everyone was 100 percent committed, especially the guys that are graduating this year."

The Wildkits knew it would be tough to pull off an upset, so from the start they were focused.

There wasn't much action in the beginning. The first period was scoreless with neither team taking control.

Midway through the second period, Rockford struck first as Kevin Lindenberg's shot got caught up inside a group of players swarming the goal, and somehow found its way into the net for the score and a 1-0 lead.

Four minutes into the third period, Rockford's Jared Ippolito caught Evanston's defenders off guard and broke away into the open ice, sending the puck past Evanston goalie Darius Mack.

Down 2-0 with 3:28 left to play and with Rockford in the penalty, the Wildkits had numbers and decided to pull Mack to gives themselves a 6 on 4 advantage. Only 22 seconds into the power play, Evanston defensemen Dan Kruger found an opening and blasted a shot from distance that hit the back of the net with some fire behind it. Evanston continued to fight hard and even had a few opportunities, but in the end, the Icemen held on to win their 11th consecutive state championship.

The game ended in disappointment, but putting themselves in a position to compete to be the best was an accomplishment in itself.

"We went into it with nothing to lose, because Rockford won it 10 years in a row," said Evanston captain Troy Cleason, who was around even before Freeman became coach. "We left it all on the line but just couldn't pull it out."

As for next year, Freeman admits that it will be tough losing the senior leadership from Cleason and co-captain Ian Proctor, but there is a new standard now.

"We're losing a lot of guys, but we also have a good group of guys coming back ... The expectations have been set ... The vision (of Rockford) at the trophy ceremony has been ingrained in their minds."

Never-Say-Die Kits Win Basketball Sectional Title

By Paul Harris-Hertel

Down but never out.

Those four words could serve as a slogan for the ETHS boys basketball team, which overcame double-digit second-half deficits two nights in a row. The sixth-seeded Wildkits upset second-seeded Von Steuben and fourth-seeded New Trier in the Class AA Niles North Sectional, giving the program its first sectional championship since 2003.

And in a touch worthy of Hollywood, senior guard Darrick Weeks, who didn't even make the team last year, hit the winning shot in the 62-61 victory over New Trier. Weeks' baseline jumper with 5.6 seconds left in the sectional final on March 9th gave the Kits their second win over their rivals this season.

"After I got cut last year, I just worked on my game," said Weeks. "If I wanted to make the team, I was going to have to work really hard."

"I've known him since he was in seventh grade," Wildkit head coach Robert Locke said of Weeks. "When I cut him, I told him he didn't give us any effort. I was furious at him. But he's a success story. He's one of the few guys we have who can make a shot out of nothing."

Weeks' heroics capped a wild second-half comeback. Evanston trailed by 15 midway through the third quarter, but cut the deficit to eight heading into the fourth. The Kits then outscored New Trier 19-6 over the first seven minutes of the final quarter, as the Trevians made just four out of 13 free throw attempts in the period. A pair of free throws by senior guard Devrce Brown gave Evanston a 57-52 lead with under a minute left in the game.

The Trevians responded with three straight three-pointers to take a 61-60 lead with 18 seconds remaining. But New Trier's flurry of treys simply set the stage for Weeks's game winner.

"The play was supposed to come to me, but New Trier defended it well," said Weeks. "I came back to the baseline and knocked down the shot."

Junior guard Zach Morton, wearing number 21 instead of his usual 10 after misplacing his jersey, led the Kits with 14 points. Senior swingman DiPanjot Singh added 12 and junior forward Sean Croegaert-Key scored 11.

Evanston's 73-65 double overtime win over Von Steuben in the sectional semifinal on March 7 was a worthy precursor to the thrilling victory two nights later. It may have been a more impressive win, considering the Panthers beat the Kits by 18 points earlier in the season and Singh, senior point guard Deon Thompson, and junior center Travis Clark all fouled out by the second overtime period.

The Kits trailed by 10 after three quarters but opened the fourth with ten unanswered points to tie the score at 41.

The run started when Evanston went to a three-quarter-court zone press, which forced three straight Panther turnovers to start the fourth quarter.

"The key was the 1-2-2 [defense] to try to slow them down and make them walk it up," Locke explained. "They can play like that, but that's not the way they like to play."

Still, the Kits trailed by two with six seconds left in regulation when Thompson strolled to the free throw line and calmly sank two free throws to send the game into overtime.

"He's not our best free throw shooter," Locke said of Thompson. "But what people don't understand is that he's a gamer. After he fouled out, I told him, ‘You got me this far. Now it's my turn. I'll take it the rest of the way.'"

When Thompson fouled out in the first overtime, the Kits trailed 56-50. But they outscored Von Steuben 9-3 over the rest of the period, tying the score at 59 on a runner by Weeks.

Morton started the second overtime with a steal and layup to put Evanston on top for good. The Kits sealed the win by hitting 10 of their 12 free throw attempts in the final two minutes.

The two sectional wins pushed the Kits' record to 22-8, with all eight losses coming to teams that were ranked in the Top 20 at one time during the year.

"The schedule we played is what did it for us tonight," Locke said following the win over Von Steuben. "We played that type of schedule so we wouldn't be in awe of anything.

"We've learned that, number one, we're a better team than people think we are," Locke continued. "And that as long as there's time on the clock, there's a chance we can win."

Boys Basketball Falls in Supersectional

By Paul Harris-Hertel

A dream season ended last Tuesday night, as the ETHS boys basketball team couldn't awake from its shooting slumber.

The Wildkits shot just 38 percent from the field, one of their worst shooting performances of the season, in a 66-55 loss to Marshall in the Class AA Supersectional at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. The loss left the team one game short of a trip downstate.

"Maybe it was the pressure, [but] we could not make a shot," said Evanston head coach Robert Locke. "You can't beat a good team like Marshall when you don't make shots. We missed a number of shots we usually make."

Senior forward Eric Hilbring led the Kits with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. Senior guard Devrce Brown added 11 and was the only other Wildkit in double figures.

The Commandos rushed out to an 8-point lead after one quarter, thanks in large part to sophomore guard Darius Smith, who scored 15 of his team's 22 first-quarter points.

"He's a player. He can make a play out of anything. The only thing that surprised us was his shooting," Locke said of Smith, who hit two 3-pointers during his first-quarter scoring binge.

Marshall extended its lead to 15 points after three quarters. But as they did in sectional wins over Von Steuben and New Trier, the Kits made a furious late run to get back in the game. They outscored the Commandos 15-2 to start the fourth quarter, with Brown's three making the score 53-51.

But the Kits went cold at the worst possible time, missing their next eight shots as Marshall went on a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach.

"Two of the shots we missed were layups," Locke said of his team's late cold spell. "That was the game."

As disappointing as the loss was, Locke took some satisfaction from the fact that his team exceeded expectations, first by tying for first place in conference and then by making it to the Sears Centre. The Wildkits, seeded sixth in their sectional bracket, beat the second seed (Von Steuben), the third seed (St. Patrick), and the fourth seed (New Trier) to advance to the supersectional level, where they were the lowest remaining seed in the state tournament.

"Just getting to this position is great for our program, because now we have a realistic goal" for next year, Locke explained. "The experience is good for our juniors."

As for the team's six seniors, they will be sorely missed. Five members of the class that Locke insisted was overlooked and playing with a chip on its collective shoulder started or played significant roles throughout the season.

"I love these guys," the second-year coach stated. "I hate that we had to end it here. They've done everything I've asked of them. To make it this far after being picked to finish fourth in conference is a testament to their hard work."

MYST Swimmers Finish Strong At Area Championship

Honore Collins and Wesley Marberry were top finishers for MYST at the Illinois/Missouri Area YMCA Championships this past weekend in Columbia, Mo. Collins took first in the Girls 8 & Under 100 IM with a time of 1:21.91 and Marberry posted a time of 29.16 to place first in the Boys 11-12 50 backstroke. The MYST girls placed 8th overall out of 50 teams.

Other top eight finishes in individual events include:
• Collins, Girls 8 & Under 25 fly, 4th, 16.66; 50 free, 2nd, 31.98
• Paige Hayden, Girls 8 & Under 25 back, 7th, 19.02
• Liza Prah, Girls 9-10 50 back, 7th, 35.43
• Evan Swenson, Girls 11-12, 50 breast, 4th, 34.97
• Sharon Wu, Girls 11-12, 50 back, 2nd, 30.68
• Sarah Thompson, Girls 13-14 200 free, 5th, 2:05.48; 500 free, 4th, 5:26.56
• Maddy Urban, Girls 13-14 50 free, 2nd, 25.68; 100 fly, 4th, 1:03.87
• Walter Haracz, Boys 8 & Under 25 fly, 8th, 21.18
• Marberry, Boys 11-12 200 IM, 2nd, 2:18.38; 50 breast, 2nd, 32.82
Top eight finishes in relay events include:
• Girls 8 & Under 100 Medley Relay team of Hayden, Collins, Emily Mohrenweiser and Sheridan Cleave, 4th, 1:13.28
• Girls 8 & Under 100 Free Relay team of Hayden, Cleave, Mohrenweiser, and Constance Reynolds, 3rd, 1:06.75
• Girls 9-10 100 Medley Relay team of Prah, Madeline Managlia, Madison Collins, and Millie Rosen, 7th, 2:26.06
• Girls 11-12 200 Medley Relay team of Wu, Swenson, Susannah Mulhern, and Robin Bastian, 4th, 2:07.10
• Girls 11-12 200 Free Relay team of Wu, Swenson, Mulhern, and Bastian, 8th, 1:54.62
• Girls 13-14 200 Medley Relay team of Thompson, Urban, Jullianna Struve, and Allison Siegel, 4th, 2:00.73
• Girls 13-14 200 Free Relay team of Thompson, Urban, Struve, and Siegel, 4th, 1:48.06
• Boys 11-12 200 Free Relay team of Jack Anderson, Connor Dixon, Aaron Mohrenweiser, and Nathaniel Urban, 8th, 1:55.31
Honore Collins and Marberry set new team records in all their individual events. They, along with Madison Collins, Prah, Managlia, Rosen, Swenson, Thompson, Wu, and Urban, have qualified for the Illinois Swimming 2007 State Age Group Swimming Championships, which is being held at the University of Illinois-Chicago March 16-18.
The MYST age group coach is Craig Strong, ph. 847-475-7400 ex 219. MYST publicity coordinator is Sara Marberry, 847.475.0427 tel. or e-mail saramarberry@comcast.net.