Members of the Evanston boys basketball put their first loss of the season to national powerhouse Montverde (Fla.) Academy into perspective, but that doesn’t mean they were pleased with the effort.
The Wildkits (6-1) lost 82-51 in Saturday’s Chicago Elite Classic at the UIC Pavilion to a Montverde team featuring North Carolina-commit Rechon Black, a junior, and R.J. Barrett (game-high 21 points), the No. 1 rated sophomore in the country according to ESPN.
The Eagles (5-0) had a starting frontline that went 6-foot-7, 6-7 and 6-9, and they brought players who were 6-9 and 6-10 off the bench. Montverde had a North Carolinian, four Canadians, an Australian and a native of the country of Georgia.
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“They are a nationally-ranked team, we’re just a local, state team,” said Evanston senior Nojel Eastern, who lives in Evanston. “This type of game prepares you for down the road. If we can compete with them … this is the best way for us to prepare for our state (championship) run.”
However, the Wildkits did not feel they did enough to compete with Montverde, which had a 58.1-29.8 edge in shooting percentage and an 18-8 advantage in fast-break points. Montverde outscored Evanston 56-30 in the paint and had several dunks.
“We know we’re a better team than what we showed,” said Evanston senior forward Elyjah Williams, who lives in Evanston. “We didn’t play well together, we weren’t getting back in transition. That’s a lot on us. We’re not running as hard as we can in games, maybe we’re not running as hard as we can in practice. We have to show more heart when we’re out on the court.”
Williams called the lopsided loss a blessing in disguise.
“I feel like it’s something we really needed, something to humble us, make us understand how far we need to push it,” he said. “As hard as we think we work, we need to work harder.”
Evanston coach Mike Ellis said his team, with no starter over 6-6, was always going to be at a size disadvantage against Montverde, which made the hustle plays that much more important.
“We have to be the first for loose balls, we have to beat traps, take charges — the plays of the game where size doesn’t matter. We have to win all of those,” he said “We just have to work on being aggressive.”
Evanston earned a spot in the high-profile tournament mainly because of Eastern, who recently signed with Purdue. He finished with a team-high 17 points, shooting 5-for-17 from the field, and added seven rebounds and one assist.
Eastern’s best stretch came in the second quarter when he became assertive and took the ball to the basket, drawing several fouls.
“We’re at our best when (Eastern) is more aggressive,” Ellis said. “That’s something he’s proven over the years. We need him to play with that kind of leadership, us playing off of him, instead of him trying to play off others.”
Williams finished with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, an impressive outing for a player giving up several inches inside.
“(Williams) is definitely a soldier, one of our only centers,” said Evanston senior Chris Hamil, an Evanston resident who finished with 11 points. “At his size (6-6), going up against 6-9, 6-10, we’re thankful we have somebody like (Williams), who can just battle and get rebounds.”
Evanston’s three sophomores looked nervous at times. The trio of starter Lance Jones and reserves Jaheim Holden and Ryan Bost committed 13 of Evanston’s 19 turnovers.
Ellis said the days after the tournament will be important in the Wildkits’ development.
“We’re going to take it back to practice with us this week and we’re going to find out how the (players) respond,” Ellis said. “We’re looking for leadership out of our seniors, we’re counting on them to teach the (young) guys lessons. We have to bring everybody along together.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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