#1 Evanston started their quest for State with a bang in Highland Park on Wednesday night. The Kits dominated every aspect of the game and never took their foot off the gas pedal en route to a commanding 93-35 victory over #16 Leyden in the Regional Semifinals.
It was a very well-rounded night for the Wildkits. While starters Theo Rocca and George Richardson would lead the scoring with 15 and 14, respectively, the bench did some heavy lifting, putting up 41 points for the Kits. Sophomore Dion Lane and junior Miles Ross both finished with double-digit points, and sophomore Tate Schroeder and junior Timi Ogunsanya had strong games as well.
“You just gotta make the most out of it,” said Lane. “You never know what your time [on the court] is looking like. So you got to come in, you gotta stay ready, and do what you gotta do to win.”
As the heavy favorite, the Kits needed to fly out of the blocks, not allowing Leyden to grow in confidence. They did just that as senior Theo Rocca would thread a pass to Richardson, who opened the scoring underneath, and the Kits never looked back after that. The first quarter would end in the same fashion that it began– with a Richardson bucket. This time, Richardson was set up by senior Kaiden Chatham. The Wildkits played aggressive defense throughout and scored 30 points off turnovers.
“Our defense has created our offense all season, so it was not a huge surprise that they did the same today,” remarked Head Coach Mike Ellis.
The offense played lights out as well, shooting 73.3% from the field in the first frame. Theo Rocca would lead the scoring for the Kits with 13 points on three triples in the first half.
Going into the second, the Kits had a comfortable lead of 21, causing them to sub out most of their starters so they could rest up for the tough matchups ahead. Even with their reserves, the Kits continued to dominate on both sides of the ball in the second quarter. Lane produced a series of highlight reel-worthy three-pointers as the Kits went into the half leading 50-15, with their performance so far living up to their #1 seed in the sectionals bracket.
“We played with a ton of heart, and guys from across our roster got opportunities and stepped up big time,” commented Ellis.
The Kits didn’t slow down after halftime. They continued to get steals and create fast break points using Lanes and Ogunsanya’s speed. After a pair of threes from Ogunsanya and Ross, the Kits would end the quarter with a resounding 78-28 lead.
A running clock was implemented in the 4th quarter, but that didn’t mean that Evanston would stop playing their style of basketball. Ross would hit an early corner three for the Kits, and Schroeder would follow by finding his way underneath for a pair of layups. Ross wasn’t done, though, as he would end the game with back-to-back threes, putting the icing on the cake for the Kits.
“I love the consistency this team has. Our guys are great at understanding the moments, and our seniors always need to play their hearts out because any game now could be their last,” concluded Ellis.
The Wildkits still have a long way to go on their road to State. With Highland Park defeating Oak Park River Forest in the second game of the night, Evanston will face off against a solid #7 Giants team on Friday for a shot at advancing to Sectionals. The Kits will look to score the ball at an elite level despite being without freshman Ben Ojala again on Friday, who is still dealing with an injury.
