With 16 seconds remaining in Tuesday night’s matchup against Loyola, senior Brandon Watson beat Loyola’s Jimmy Tarjan to the basket for a game-tying layup that sent the Beardsley Gym crowd wild. The game seemed destined for overtime after the Wildkits’ incredible ten-point comeback in the final two minutes. However, those 16 seconds were just enough time for Loyola’s Miles Boland to make a play.
Boland isolated senior Jonny Dickson and scored through contact in the closing seconds of the game before he knocked down his free throw to put the Ramblers up by three, and the Kits’ last-ditch effort off a half-court shot failed. Loyola managed to hold on 47-44, despite Evanston’s late heroics.
Loyola (19-4) generated turnovers all night, with Boland chipping in five steals and Andrew Andrew Hollerich blocking two shots. The senior duo also contributed on the offensive side of the ball, as Boland scored 14 points and Hollerich dropped nine. For Evanston (15-9), junior Theo Rocca and senior Brandon Watson each had 10 points, and senior Tyler Dennis contributed nine points off the bench.
“Turnovers were a reason why we didn’t get off to a great start,” Evanston head coach Mike Ellis said. “We’ve got to do a better job at valuing our possessions. We’re not reading and anticipating to make what we need, especially for a team like Loyola that really comes up and gets in your face defensively.”
A poor third quarter ultimately put the Kits in a losing position. Despite a 20-16 lead at halftime, Evanston quickly found that the momentum was shifting to the Ramblers. Loyola converted 6/11 field goals in the third quarter and outscored the Kits 16-3 in the quarter.
“We struggle with our second half this year, so I’ve got to do a better job in figuring out why the second half is our enemy,” Ellis said. “That’s something we do more times than not; underperforming in the second half.”
Ellis believed the problems in the third quarter had to do with a drop-off in intensity, as well as mental short circuits.
“When we play aggressively, we’re pretty good,” Ellis said. “But there’s too many times we’ve got mental breakdowns on the floor. A lot of this lack of this lack of success is awareness and understanding.”
As time winded down in the fourth, Evanston started to mount a comeback, with Watson in the driver’s seat. From hitting foul shots to putting up with contact to draw an offensive foul on Loyola, Watson was instrumental in bringing the Kits back to even with Loyola, though the effort proved futile.
After the loss for the Kits, Ellis saw the bright side in the perseverance shown by guards Rocca and Watson, who had been quieter earlier in the game.
“They stepped up, and we were trailing and didn’t give up. They displayed a never-quit attitude. That’s what we needed to display coming out of halftime.”
The game against the Ramblers was a second-straight loss following last Friday at GBN. The team will look to end their skid against Maine South (9-12, 0-7 CSL).
“You gotta hate to lose,” Ellis said. “You’re coming off back-to-back losses… If you love sports, you’re going to show Maine South not wanting to lose and getting that taste out of your mouth.
