Boys basketball is set to face off tonight against perennial power and rival New Trier in a highly anticipated game in Beardsley Gymnasium at 7:30 pm. While the Kits (9-3, 2-1 CSL) have had a solid start to their season, New Trier (9-1, 2-0 CSL) appears to be the favorite. The Trevians were recently ranked #14 in the Chicago Sun Times’ Super 25 Rankings. Evanston leads the all-time rivalry 122-98, but the Trevians have taken the last three contests.
The Trevs are coming off of a dominant performance in the Saguaro Holiday Classic, a tournament in Arizona. Despite his lack of experience, sophomore Chris Kirkpatrick is one of the leaders for the Trevians. The guard put up 27 points in the final game in Arizona against Saguaro– a game that New Trier ended up winning 66-34. The 6-foot-3 guard is accompanied in the backcourt by senior Ian Brown and big man Logan Feller, a physical player who is dominant on the boards.
The rivalry has given way to tons of memorable games and performances in the past. Last year in Beardsley, Evanston’s late-game comeback came up just short after senior guard Hunter Duncan missed a three at the buzzer. The Trevians took that game home, 57-55, while also defeating the Kits at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 42-36. The last time Evanston beat New Trier was in shocking fashion, on February 4, 2022, at Northwestern. Led by senior Jack Tully’s unanticipated 12 points, the Kits took down the Trevians, 62-55, who were ranked #4 in the state at the time.
Evanston’s Keys To Win:
Shoot efficiently from downtown
Last Friday against Maine South, Evanston was terrific from behind the arc. As a team, the Kits shot 52% from deep en route to a convincing 59-48 win over the Redhawks. Any percentage close to this will bode well against the Trevians tonight.
Limit Trevians’ college talent
New Trier is coming into Beardsley with one of the most talented teams they have had in recent history. The visitors are led by the senior duo of Brown and Feller, who are committed to playing college ball at Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins, respectively. In Arizona, Brown averaged 16 PPG and took home tournament MVP. Feller received an all-tournament team honor as well. If Evanston wants to lock down the Trevians, they’re going to have to undoubtedly limit the senior combo.
Complementary basketball from forwards
No matter how good Evanston’s defense is tomorrow night, the New Trier guards are going to affect the game. While the Kits are going to need to limit them, the Trevians have too many talented guards to keep them out of the game completely. To counteract this, Evanston will need a big game out of senior forward Morgan Brown, who had 13 points against Maine South and 15 points against Maine East on Monday. Brown and senior Antoine Thomas helped the Kits win the rebounding battle 26-13 against Maine South. That trend will need to continue tonight.
Jump out on top early
Mounting a comeback in high school basketball is difficult to accomplish. Without a shot clock, the leading team can hold the ball for a remarkable amount of time in every possession. Since the Trevians have a plethora of talented guards, the Kits need to put themselves in a position early on to prevent New Trier from draining the clock. The hosts are going to have to score early and often if they want to take home a rivalry win tonight.
