RECAP: EVANSTON 50, NEW TRIER 49
New Trier’s Ciaran Brayboy stuffs the ball during second-half action. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
Welcome to the NFL, Griffin Ryan.
Okay, hyperbole.
But it’s hardly an exaggeration that the New Trier senior went down on impact while attempting to shoot a layup on the final possession of the fourth quarter.
Ryan, not wearing a helmet and shoulder pads, was sprawled out on the floor along the baseline — and waiting for the whistle — as the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation in the New Trier-Evanston game on Jan. 12.
No foul was called on the Evanston’s Lance Jones.
Instead, the game went to overtime.
“The kid [Ryan] gets tackled,” said NT head basketball coach Scott Fricke. “No way is that a no-call.”
The NT coach thought it was … blatant.
Evanston thought … the just opposite.
The high-leaping Jones was praised for his play.
“I’m upset,” added Fricke. “We executed [the last play] perfectly. We should be celebrating right now.”
Instead, the host Trevians ended up losing to their archrivals 50-49 in overtime in front of a jam-packed crowd.
Fricke was just as upset with his team relinquishing a 12-point first-half lead and going 4-for-14 at the foul line.
“That [the free-throw percentage] is not acceptable,” said Fricke. “There’s the game.”
The Trevians (10-3, 4-1), who were coming off an emotional 60-58 victory over an undefeated Niles North club on Jan. 7, had things going their way. They jumped out to a 14-7 first-quarter advantage and then led 31-19 — until Jones sank a last-second 30-foot shot to close out the first half.
“We went up by 12 and couldn’t hold it,” Fricke bemoaned.
And yet, New Trier just missed pulling it out in overtime. Guard Andrew Kirkpatrick (11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) fired up a potential game-winning last-second shot from the right corner that hit the front of the rim and bounded off.
NT’s two big men, Ciaran Brayboy and Spencer Boehm, played well in the loss. The 6-foot-9 Brayboy led all scorers with 16 points to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks. Boehm, who hit a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter, ended up with 11 points and five rebounds.
Jones paced the Wildkits (13-3, 4-1) with 15 points, six steals, four assists and one very big block.
NT’s Game Balls: Ciaran Brayboy (Jr., C), Spencer Boehm (Jr., F)
Evanston Game Balls: Lance Jones (Jr., G), Jaheim Holden (Jr., G)
Player of the Game: Jones
NT’s Stat Leaders
— Brayboy (16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks)
— Boehm (11 points, 5 rebounds)
— Andrew Kirkpatrick (11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists)
— Brian Conaghan (5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists)
— Griffin Ryan (6 points, 5 rebounds)
Evanston’s Stat Leaders
— Jones (15 points, 6 steals, 4 assists)
— Holden (10 points)
New Trier’s Spencer Boehm gets tied up with Evanston’s Reggie Henley (No. 4) and William Harrison Porter. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
Griffin Ryan of the Trevians takes it to the hoop against Evanston’s Ryan Bost. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
Brian Conaghan of the Trevians drives against Evanston’s Matthew Hall. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
NT’s Andrew Kirkpatrick handles the ball as Ciaran Brayboy sets a screen. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER