WC_031419
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
winnetkacurrent.com SPORTS<br />
the winnetka current | March 14, 2019 | 47<br />
Boys basketball<br />
Evanston’s hot hand too much for Loyola to handle<br />
Michael Wojtychiw<br />
Sports Editor<br />
22nd Century Media FILE PHOTO<br />
1st-and-3<br />
three TEAMS of the<br />
WINTER<br />
1. New Trier girls<br />
gymnastics<br />
(above). The<br />
Trevians tied the<br />
program’s highest<br />
finish when they<br />
finished second<br />
at this season’s<br />
state meet. The<br />
finish matched<br />
one from the<br />
1992 season.<br />
2. Loyola boys<br />
basketball. The<br />
Ramblers won<br />
20 or more<br />
games, a holiday<br />
tournament, the<br />
Jesuit cup and<br />
a regional title,<br />
all for the third<br />
consecutive<br />
season.<br />
3. Loyola girls<br />
basketball.<br />
The Ramblers<br />
won their third<br />
consecutive<br />
regional title.<br />
For the third consecutive<br />
season, Loyola and<br />
Evanston faced off in the<br />
sectional round of the Illinois<br />
High School Association<br />
state playoffs. The<br />
first two battles — both in<br />
the sectional semifinals —<br />
resulted in Evanston wins.<br />
The third, a sectional final<br />
hosted by Niles North,<br />
would end in similar fashion<br />
Friday, March 8, as<br />
Evanston would defeat the<br />
Ramblers 56-42, winning<br />
its third consecutive sectional<br />
title and ending the<br />
Ramblers’ season in the<br />
sectional yet again.<br />
“That’s a team that’s really,<br />
really hard to guard<br />
and you’ve got to decide<br />
what you’re going to give<br />
up and we weren’t perfect<br />
with that, but they have<br />
some guys that stepped<br />
up,” Loyola coach Tom<br />
Livatino said.<br />
A big portion of the<br />
Wildkits’ offense the entire<br />
year had been driving<br />
to the basket, scoring<br />
bunches of points that way.<br />
Friday’s game was different.<br />
Evanston was on fire<br />
from behind the 3-point<br />
line, especially in the first<br />
quarter, where it hit 7-of-8<br />
from deep, with all seven<br />
3-pointers accounting for<br />
all of its points in the quarter.<br />
“It’s really tough to<br />
win when your opponent<br />
Loyola’s Bennett Kwiecinski cuts off the dribble of Evanston’s Ryan Bost in a sectional final Friday, March 9, in<br />
Skokie. Tracy Allen/22nd Century Media<br />
shoots that well,” Bennett<br />
Kwiecinski said.<br />
“Our plan originally was<br />
to make them drive to the<br />
basket, and I think we did<br />
ok with that, but they just<br />
hit a lot of big shots.”<br />
The pace would change<br />
in the second quarter<br />
however, as Loyola was<br />
able to establish more of<br />
the slower pace it likes<br />
to play, holding the topseeded<br />
Wildkits to just six<br />
points in the second quarter,<br />
while creeping back to<br />
close the halftime deficit to<br />
27-21.<br />
A couple quick baskets<br />
to start the third quarter<br />
made it a one point game,<br />
at 27-26, but Evanston responded<br />
with a 13-5 run<br />
to close out the period and<br />
give it all the distance it<br />
needed between itself and<br />
the sixth-seeded Ramblers.<br />
“I was really proud of<br />
our guys, to get down like<br />
that, get punched in the<br />
face, and then respond<br />
and cut it to one, that<br />
was good,” Livatino said.<br />
“I’m very, very proud of<br />
this team. The last three<br />
weeks have been excellent.<br />
We’ve dealt with adversity,<br />
the best player being<br />
injured and we battled<br />
back to play for a sectional<br />
championship.<br />
“There’s no shame in<br />
that. There’s nothing but<br />
pride in me about our<br />
guys.”<br />
The Ramblers held both<br />
Lance Jones and Blake Peters<br />
to no made field goals<br />
— Peters didn’t attempt a<br />
single shot.<br />
“Credit goes to Quinn<br />
(Pemberton) for taking<br />
away Jones, he guarded<br />
him the whole game and<br />
completely took him out,”<br />
Kwiecinski said. “With<br />
(Blake) Peters, we denied<br />
him the ball the whole<br />
time. We didn’t let him<br />
catch and get any shots.”<br />
Bennett Kwiecinski<br />
Please see Basketball, 45<br />
Listen Up<br />
“It’s going to be awesome going back to the<br />
United Center with this new team.”<br />
Kathryn McLaughlin — New Trier girls hockey player after<br />
her team’s state semifinal win over Loyola.<br />
tunE in<br />
What to watch this week<br />
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD: The indoor track season comes to<br />
an end at the CSL meet.<br />
• New Trier travels to Evanston for the CSL meet<br />
Friday, March 15, in Evanston.<br />
Index<br />
42 - This Week In<br />
41 - Athlete of the Week<br />
Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor Michael<br />
Wojtychiw, m.wojtychiw@22ndcenturymedia.com.