ETHS boys basketball made a 12-point second-half comeback to take down 17th-ranked Peoria Richwoods 82-76. This big win extended the Kits’ win streak to 7 games, and they now have an overall record of 18-3. Although Richwoods threatened to end the streak early in the game, ETHS pushed back with a dominating second half.
With star forward Vito Rocca injured, coach Mike Ellis praised the other constant starters, Timi Ogunsanya, Tate Schroeder, Dion Lane, and Ben Ojala for stepping up offensively.
Richwoods has one of the best guards in the class of 2028, Amarion Smith-Holley. At the beginning, he was creating plenty of offense, scoring 12 points in the first half, and also making multiple impressive passes to teammates. The Kits seemed overmatched on defense, and three Richwoods players ended the second half with double-digit points. The first half ended with Richwoods leading 41-29.
“Our only adjustment was to challenge those guys to take some pride in their defense. It didn’t seem like we had any pride at that end of the floor,” said coach Mike Ellis.
The simple adjustment worked, and the Kits looked like a new basketball team. Like Richwoods, ETHS has a star sophomore guard of their own. After almost two scoreless minutes, Ben Ojala took the ball up the court and made a three-pointer. They got a stop on defense, and Ojala made another one. Nearing the end of the third quarter with the Kits still down by six, Dion Lane made three threes on three possessions to take the lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Kits were winning 56-53. Lane was the game’s leading scorer with 17, and Smith-Holley had scored just once since halftime.
The fourth quarter was back and forth the whole way with very few scoreless possessions. Ojala and Smith-Holley combined for a total of 32 points. Ojala ended the game with 28 points, and Smith-Holley finished with 31.
“The fourth quarter was the moment where he said, ‘Okay, I can just go now without having to worry about fouling out,’” stated Ellis.
Ellis was also pleased with the way Elliot Pratt played in just his second start of the season.
“Elliot Pratt really stepped up. He out-rebounded his matchup today seven to one, so that was really huge for Elliot to play that way and give us the extra lift he did,” added Ellis.
Evanston’s execution at home continues to be on point, as this win against Richwoods means that they still haven’t lost at Beardsley this season.
