Senior Zuri Ransom stripped the ball away from the Trevians and proceeded to lay it in just as the first half came to a close, bringing the Evanston fans to their feet.
While the Kits were still down three, 20-17, as they went in for halftime, they carried that energy into the rest of the game, outscoring New Trier by 13 in the second half to take down their rival, 48-38.
“After the second quarter, we were able to pick up the pressure, and we started getting forced turnovers, breakaway layups and a stronger defense,” Senior Zuri Ransom commented. “We picked up our energy, which led to a better second half.”
The stakes were high as the Kits (8-3, 4-1 CSL) sought to overcome a two-game losing streak against their cross-town rivals (8-5, 2-3).
The first quarter was a low-scoring affair, with the Trevians jumping out to a 10-4 lead thanks in part to a three-pointer from Katherine Saccaro.
As the second quarter began, the Evanston student section grew louder. Cheers and chants were heard from Evanston fans as the Kits took the court. The energy spiked when senior Arianna Milam-Pryor started the quarter off with a breakaway, closing the gap on the scoreboard. Both teams held a strong defensive strategy but failed to score enough points to dominate the other.
“We just sped [New Trier] up. We got them to take tough shots and made them miss a lot of easy shots. We were able to rebound and push.” Head coach Brittany Johson said. “That was the biggest part of our game plan, if they were scoring, it was really going to hold us up.”
As the Kits took the court after halftime, the crowd could tell the energy was different. The confidence from Evanston was there, and their determination to take down their infamous rivals drove their strategy in the second half. It began with more active marking on the defensive side for Evanston while trying to get every single defensive rebound.
After consistent rebounds from both sides of the court, the momentum shift changed in favor of the Kits, starting with a solid three from Ransom, with 2:44 left in the 3rd. From there, free throws from freshman Payton King, tied up the game, 24-24. The Kits were ready to dominate in the final showoff after field goals from Kailey Starks, holding the lead and never letting go.
“It’s always nice to see when a freshman takes over the court. [King] had a couple of really nice baskets and we knew from there that we were going to have a good finish” Ransom reflected.
More and more students, family, and friends pile in to watch the end of the game and prepare for Evanston boys to take on New Trier next. As the crowd grew, so did the energy on and off the court. The student section, dressed in all black, carried many signs and chanted loudly for the gym to hear. Ultimately, this support for the girl’s team contributed to the ultimate victory.
As the Kits maintain their defensive mindset, the Trevians begin to tire. New Trier began to foul more in the game’s later minutes, allowing the Kits some easy points. The game ended with Ransom netting both free throws and leaving the score 48-36.
“We just want to take it one day at a time. We started off really strong, we hit kind of a low point with two losses [earlier in the week]. We really just want to get better every single day.” said Johnson.
The Kits take on Lake Zurich in Beardsley on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 3 p.m., looking to carry over this win.
