Trevians hoopers help fight hunger but can’t catch up to Champions

New Trier boys basketball took a friendly local court adorned in white and blue Saturday night, but the colors on the court didn’t match the Trevians’.

The Trevians had the opportunity to play atop the purple-and-white hardwood of Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern University Jan. 18 for one of three special matchups as a part of the inaugural Hoops 4 Hunger One Day Shootout. 

New Trier Athletic Director Augie Fontanetta said the event, organized in part by New Trier, served as an opportunity for six competitive teams to play in the special venue while raising money for The Greater Chicago Food Depository. Fans earned admission to the games by donating $1 or more to The Greater Chicago Food Depository.

New Trier coach Scott Fricke said the event was a great experience for the team.

“Our kids are all Northwestern fans. They grow up, they go to the games,” Fricke said. “For them to have a chance to play on this court is a big deal.”

The sizable Champions, though, were up to the challenge, taking care of the Trevians 60-47. 

Lane Tech’s 6-foot-10 senior Dalton Scantlebury opened the scoring with a hard-fought layup. Six-foot-7 junior Mat Szafoni also hit two early three-pointers, all en route to a 13-2 run that forced an early Trevians’ timeout and set the tone for a tough night for the blue and white.

Lane Tech’s big men proved to be a tall task for New Trier all night, as Scantlebury went on to score a team-high 15 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and 6-8 Zach Mazanowski added 13 and 11.

“Their size was just a huge advantage for them. Their 6-10 kid played really well,” Fricke said. “They were getting offensive rebounds, and I thought their big kid played really well tonight.”

Junior guard Christopher Kirkpatrick, though, came alive for the Trevians when things looked bleak. With his team down 14 with under three minutes remaining in the first half, Kirkpatrick hit a fadeaway jump shot to cut the deficit to 12. Then, with seconds remaining in the first half, he drained a buzzer-beating shot while falling back, keeping the Trevians within 10, 29-19, at the break.

The junior guard led all players with 9 first-half points.

The Trevians built off the momentum early in the second half. After a powerful Scantlebury dunk to restart the festivities, junior Danny Houlihan got hot. He knocked down two three-pointers in the early minutes of the third quarter, the second of which cut the Champion lead to eight. 

“(Houlihan is) obviously an excellent shooter,” Fricke said. “He makes shots every game we play. He just gives a lot to our offense.”

But as Houlihan got going, so did another Lane Tech big: Mazanowski, who converted a three-point play to restore the double-digit Champions’ lead. 

Scantlebury continued to be relentless, scoring 6 points out of a timeout midway through the third quarter, giving his team a commanding 44-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes. 

The twin towers, Scantlebury and Mazanowski, each finished the day with double-doubles.

Despite a 15-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist game from Kirkpatrick, the Trevians could not dig themselves out of the early hole, taking a rare loss during an otherwise stellar run of play.

Houlihan added 11 points and Colby Smith 10. New Trier shot just 32% (17 of 53) from the floor and were out-rebounded 35-27.

“We were prepared for the game, it just seemed like we were running in sand,” Fricke said. “So we didn’t play our best but we’ve been playing well.”

New Trier will have a chance to bounce back on Monday afternoon with a special shootout matchup with powerful Kenwood in the second Lou Malnati’s Shootout in Winnetka.

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