WB_031419

wilmettebeacon.com SPORTS
the wilmette beacon | March 14, 2019 | 47
Boys basketball
Evanston’s hot hand too much for Loyola to handle
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 5 days ago
22nd Century Media FILE PHOTO
1st-and-3
three PLAYERS of
the WEEK
1. New Trier girls
gymnastics
(above). The
Trevians tied the
program’s highest
finish when they
finished second
at this season’s
state meet. The
finish matched
one from the
1992 season.
2. Loyola boys
basketball. The
Ramblers won
20 or more
games, a holiday
tournament, the
Jesuit cup and
a regional title,
all for the third
consecutive
season.
3. Loyola girls
basketball.
The Ramblers
won their third
consecutive
regional title.
For the third consecutive
season, Loyola and
Evanston faced off in the
sectional round of the Illinois
High School Association
state playoffs. The
first two battles — both in
the sectional semifinals —
resulted in Evanston wins.
The third, a sectional
final hosted by Niles
North, would end in similar
fashion Friday, March
8, as Evanston would defeat
the Ramblers 56-42,
winning its third consecutive
sectional title
and ending the Ramblers’
season in the sectional
yet again.
“That’s a team that’s really,
really hard to guard
and you’ve got to decide
what you’re going to give
up and we weren’t perfect
with that, but they have
some guys that stepped
up,” Loyola coach Tom
Livatino said.
A big portion of the
Wildkits’ offense the entire
year had been driving
to the basket, scoring
bunches of points that way.
Friday’s game was different.
Evanston was on fire
from behind the 3-point
line, especially in the first
quarter, where it hit 7-of-8
from deep, with all seven
3-pointers accounting for
all of its points in the quarter.
“It’s really tough to
Loyola’s Bennett Kwiecinski cuts off the dribble of Evanston’s Ryan Bost in a sectional final Friday, March 9, in
Skokie. Tracy Allen/22nd Century Media
win when your opponent
shoots that well,” Bennett
Kwiecinski said.
“Our plan originally was
to make them drive to the
basket, and I think we did
ok with that, but they just
hit a lot of big shots.”
The pace would change
in the second quarter
however, as Loyola was
able to establish more of
the slower pace it likes
to play, holding the topseeded
Wildkits to just six
points in the second quarter,
while creeping back to
close the halftime deficit to
27-21.
A couple quick baskets
to start the third quarter
made it a one point game,
at 27-26, but Evanston responded
with a 13-5 run
to close out the period and
give it all the distance it
needed between itself and
the sixth-seeded Ramblers.
“I was really proud of
our guys, to get down like
that, get punched in the
face, and then respond
and cut it to one, that
was good,” Livatino said.
“I’m very, very proud of
this team. The last three
weeks have been excellent.
We’ve dealt with adversity,
the best player being
injured and we battled
back to play for a sectional
championship.
“There’s no shame in
that. There’s nothing but
pride in me about our
guys.”
The Ramblers held both
Lance Jones and Blake Peters
to no made field goals
— Peters didn’t attempt a
single shot.
“Credit goes to Quinn
(Pemberton) for taking
away Jones, he guarded
him the whole game and
completely took him out,”
Kwiecinski said. “With
(Blake) Peters, we denied
him the ball the whole
time. We didn’t let him
catch and get any shots.”
Please see Basketball, 45
Listen Up
“It’s going to be awesome going back to the
United Center with this new team.”
Kathryn McLaughlin — New Trier girls hockey player after
her team’s state semifinal win over Loyola..
tunE in
What to watch this week
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD: The indoor track season comes to
an end at the CSL meet.
• New Trier travels to Evanston for the CSL meet
Friday, March 15, in Evanston.
Index
42 - This Week In
41 - Athlete of the Week
Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor Michael
Wojtychiw, m.wojtychiw@22ndcenturymedia.com.