Senior Ball-State-commit Zuri Ransom stepped on the court Thursday night like the stakes had never been higher—and that’s because they hadn’t. With a win-or-go-home mentality in the IHSA regional final, Evanston—and more specifically, Ransom—was prepared to fight to extend their season.
Within a quarter, Ransom had netted 11 of the Kits’ 13 points to take an early lead. But Evanston couldn’t stay ahead as the game progressed, and after a series of runs from the Spartans, they couldn’t manage to turn the game around, losing to Glenbrook North, 62-52.
The Kits faced off against Glenbrook North for the third time this season, with the series tied 1-1, to battle for the regional title. Evanston hoped to advance to the IHSA sectional semifinals, but GBN’s cutting players and brick-wall-like screens outweighed Evanston to end its season and knock them out of the playoffs.
“Ultimately, we sped up on our defense and weren’t locked in on our defense. It came down to the open layups, missed rebounds and open jumpers,” says Ransom. “We weren’t hitting the shots we needed to, and as sad as it is, this just wasn’t our game.”
The game’s prospects initially looked promising. The crowd erupted after the Kits won the tip-off, but GBN wasted no time as they grabbed a defensive board hit to finish the play inside with a 2-point score. Afterward, Ransom hit her first shot of the night early in the first quarter, draining a pull-up 3-pointer from beyond the arc to take the lead. Following Ransom’s score, Spartans junior guards Caitlyn Ethan and Alexis Myers went on back-to-back scoring possessions. Although GBN had momentum in the early first quarter, Ransom went on to score eight more points to give the Kits the lead at the end of the first quarter, 13-9.
“[Seniors Zuri Ransom, Kailey Starks, and Ariana Milam-Pryor] have just given their heart and souls to the program,” says head coach Brittany Johnson. “We talked a lot about legacies at the end of the season, and I’ll just remember how they worked, gave it everything and were loyal and supportive to the program and to me. Those relationships that we built will continue on.”
To open up the second quarter, Kits sophomore guard Havanna Van Wyk hit a three-pointer, which Myers responded to with a 2-point jumper. Ransom drained her third three of the first half to put the Kits up, 19-11, but throughout the quarter, the Spartans chipped away at Evanston’s lead until GBN was up 30-27 as they headed back to the locker room for halftime.
Reentering the court after half, Ethen picked up right where she left off by putting in a three-point score for the Spartans to extend their lead. As the game continued, Evanston’s focus seemed to be slipping away, as they couldn’t stop GBN from scoring down the stretch. Myers leaped ahead with seven points in the quarter to extend the Spartans’ lead to 48-38. The fan section for the Kits eased down as the Spartans section were overwhelming them with cheers and claps.
From there, the Spartans ran away with the game. As the clock winded down to the final buzzer, silence from the Kits bench wounded hearts in the Evanston fan section. GBN celebrated the victory, which moved them on to the sectional semifinals against Loyola. Ethen finished with 17 points, while teammate Alexis Myers followed her with 16.
“We really threw our freshmen into the fire. I can really see in the moments they just weren’t mentally ready for this moment,” says Johnson. “We had a lot of mental lapses defensively, and I really just feel bad for our seniors.”
Seniors Ransom, Starks and Milam-Pryor left a significant impact on the 2023-24 team. Ransom and Starks both crossed the 1000-point benchmark during the season, and all three stood out to so many fans and fellow teammates as high-level athletes and teammates on the court.
“The [ETHS] basketball community, especially during my senior season, has felt like one big family.” Ransom reflects. “We all want the best for each other, and I couldn’t ask for a better team to finish out my four years.”
While the team will be losing their three seniors, underclassmen prepare to rise to the occasion. Sophomore Van Wyk, junior Jayla Warren and freshman Camille Calixte all earned significant varsity minutes this year and are prepared to lead next year’s efforts.
“It was an incredibly hard season,” says Johnson. “As heartbreaking as it was, it’s pretty fitting that it ended the way it did tonight. I felt like we had a few more games in us, but we just didn’t play well tonight. Sometimes that happens; it’s a part of the game.”
The Kits finished their season with a 14-16 record and 6-4 in conference play, placing them third in the Central Suburban League South.
Assistant sports editor Eva Sondgeroth contributed reporting.
