After the Evanston boys basketball team beat New Trier 53-39, Wildkits coach Mike Ellis touched on the Trevians’ defense in his postgame remarks.
“Those guys were locked in,” Ellis said.
The Trevians held the Wildkits, who are ranked No. 7 by the baiduhai, to six points in the third quarter and 31 for the first three quarters of the Central Suburban South game on Friday, Feb. 5, in Winnetka. The Trevians (14-9, 5-3) played man-to-man, a 1-3-1 zone and a box-and-one against Evanston.
“When you play us, you have to prepare for a lot of different things,” New Trier coach Scott Fricke said. “You have to give Evanston credit. [Junior guard] Nojel [Eastern] is a great player, and they won the game by making some tough shots.”
Eastern, who has offers from Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue, among others, finished with a season-high 25 points and went 5-for-6 on 3-pointers.
New Trier has excelled on defense its last 10 games. The 53 points the Wildkits scored were the most the Trevians allowed during the 9-1 stretch, which started with a 72-47 win over Von Steuben on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. New Trier’s opponents averaged 40.9 points during the 10 games.
One of New Trier’s signature defenses under Fricke has been the 1-3-1 zone. It’s particularly effective this season because of the team’s length. Tino Malnati, a 6-foot-3 senior, or 6-6 junior Teddy McGregor is at the top of the zone, while the middle section can feature 6-6 senior Colin Winchester and 6-8 freshman Spencer Boehm. Mike Hurley, a 6-2 senior, often is at the bottom.
Hurley, one of the team’s best athletes, said his job is to patrol the baseline and be a vocal presence.
“I have to get to the shooters in the corners, and I have to help rebound,” he said. “I also need to let everybody know what is going on, where the big man is, where the cutters are coming from because I can see the whole court.”
One of Malnati’s biggest responsibilities at the top of the zone is to prevent easy passes. He said he wants to force opponents into bad decisions.
“I want them to have to lob the ball to the wings, so we can get a steal,” he said.
When the 1-3-1 is functioning efficiently, Hurley and Malnati said it’s troublesome for opposing offenses.
But with several new players in the rotation this season, Fricke said it took some time for the Trevians to become a cohesive defensive unit. New Trier started the season 5-8 and surrendered 54.8 points a game in its first 13 games.
“We run defenses some guys are never taught, so they have to learn how to play it on the varsity level,” Hurley said. “It can be hard to pick up. In the 1-3-1, you have to know your role.”
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Malnati said the team’s 40-26 win over Maine South in Park Ridge on Friday, Jan. 8 — the second game in the 10-game stretch — was a turning point.
“The younger guys finally looked more comfortable in knowing what to do,” Malnati said. “[Against the Hawks], we were focused in on what they do, their tendencies. We were helping and closing out on shooters. We took away what they do best.”
Hurley said the team’s turnaround can be linked to how well the Trevians are playing defense.
“We have a different mentality now,” he said. “We have been locking teams down, and it’s paying off for us. We are better because of our defense.”
Matt Harness co-hosts a golf podcast called Teeing Off. Find it on Twitter (@Teeing__Off) or at www.facebook.com/teeingoffpodcast and on iTunes.
Twitter: @harnesspreps