Tenth-Ranked Kits Win Seven in a Row

By Michael O'Sullivan

After losing their season-opener to Zion-Benton, the Wildkits boys basketball team rolled to their seventh straight win on Dec. 7 at a packed house at Glenbrook South High School (GBS).

 ETHS faced a tough test with a GBS team led by 6'9" center Jack Cooley, who is being recruited by Northwestern and Wisconsin.  The Wildkits played well defensively and kept Cooley and the rest of the Titans on their toes as they switched defensive sets all game long. After Glenbrook South tied the game at 30-30 in the second quarter, the 10th-ranked Kits went on a 9-0 run and never looked back.  The Wildkits were led by senior guard Stephen Rudnicki, who had been struggling with his shot early in the season. Rudnicki posted a team-high 20 points and Travis Clark continued his great play with 13 points.

 Coach Bobby Locke said he was glad to see his point guard break out of his early season slump. "Stephen has a great overall game and I knew he would get out of his funk here in the early part of the season," Locke said. "I am just glad he did it in a big conference match-up against Glenbrook South." In the win, Coach Locke's team went 19 of 20 from the free-throw line in their 73-62 victory.

On Dec. 4, the Wildkits beat up on conference foe Main South in an 80-48 win. Zachary Morten had a team-high 19 points and Danny Far added 17. The win over Main South was an impressive showing for the Kits, who played well from the opening tip to the final whistle. Morten said he was excited to see his team come out strong in the opening quarters. "We have always been a team that turns it up in the second half, and sometimes it takes us awhile to get in a rhythm," Morten said. "Against Main South though, we really came out strong and played well the entire game."

ETHS will look to continue their strong play on Dec. 14 as they head to Niles West. Though Evanston is riding high on a seven-game win streak, Coach Locke is cautious about reading too much into their early success.

"We don't get caught up in streaks or anything like that. We just go out and play our game," he said.  "We just have to continue to do the things that we do best and play basketball, and right now we are all having a lot of fun doing that." 

MYST Swimmers Bring Strokes to Wisconsin
 

More than 60 swimmers from the McGaw YMCA Swim Team (MYST) participated in the Schroeder YMCA Finalist Meet with 17 other teams this past weekend in Brown Deer, Wis.  Some of the standout performers included: Marlee Nork, first in the Girls 9-10 100 IM with a time of 1:20.45; Wesley Marberry, first in the Boy's 13-14 400 IM with a 4:47.61; and Sharon Wu, first in the Girls 11-12 50 backstroke with a 29.84. Marberry and Wu also set new team records in those events.

Hooked on Fishing

A Few Angles on Gifts For Fishermen

Today's column comes at a good time to talk about Christmas gifts for those who fish. For the more advanced fisherman in the family, buying at Christmas time can be quite a challenge. My wife believed I already owned more tackle than most tackle shops, so she never knew what to buy for me, and that was 10 years ago. The best advice for the advanced fisherman is gift card from Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, Gander Mountain or Dick's Sporting Goods. This will allow them to spend some of the long winter hours browsing the aisles looking for things to spend the card on, and eventually get something they really need or want.

For the novice angler in the family there are a number of great ideas for Christmas. Nothing beats being able to locate fish with a sonar unit. Most fishing boats have fish finders as standard equipment.  There is now a unit for those who fish from shore or piers, the Hummingbird SmartCast Wireless Sonar, a really neat, small unit that attaches to your fishing line.  The angler casts the unit out to the area he or she  wants to scan, then looks at the one-touch screen attached to the fishing rod.  It shows depth, fish ID and sensitivity.  It's a very cool little unit, and very useful in locating that offshore structure where the fish like to hide.

Other great options, available from most major sporting goods outlets (see list above), are kits.  A kit is a plastic tackle box, compartmentalized with hooks/jig heads and plastic bait designed for specific fish. There are bass kits, walleye kits, crappie kits and more. This gives the novice fisherman better choices when going fishing, to improve chances of catching that big fish.  Kits are also a really cost-effective way to purchase lures.

Hope these ideas help with your Christmas shopping, and I wish all of you a safe and joyous holiday season. Until next year, keep a tight line.
hookedonfishing@comcast.net

Girls Basketball Moving in the Right Direction

By Michael O'Sullivan

The ETHS girls basketball team played a strong, confident game on Dec. 7, earning a huge conference victory over the Glenbrook South Titans. Coach Steve Wool's team trailed for most of the game but managed to rally in the fourth quarter to pull off the victory.

Seniors Kim Davis and Darcelle Retreage led the way down the stretch by drawing in their teammates more, something Coach Wool has stressed. "I told them that they need to get everybody on the floor involved.  Everybody knows that Kim and Darcelle can score, including our opponents," he said.  "So I told them both, 'To win this game we need everybody to get involved on offense, and play strong defense.'" The team responded, pulling away from GBS in the final minutes and winning 49-42.

The Kits have won three of their last four contests as they beat Washington High School and St. Ignatius last weekend. Coach Wool says he is encouraged by the way his team is playing.  "We are moving in the right direction, that is for sure," he said. "Last year and in years past, we would have not come back in the fourth quarter to beat a team like GBS as we did, and that comeback win should give us a lot of confidence as we go into the rest of our games."

The Wildkits have their toughest test of the year tonight, when they travel to take on their bitter rivals, the New Trier Trevians.  "I think the girls are ready to take things to the next level," said Coach Wool, "and I am really excited about that."