Shorthanded New Trier misses its shot at Evanston and a league title

Colby Smith is a glass-half-full kind of guy.

At least the senior was on Tuesday night when New Trier basketball (19-10, 6-3) lost its third straight game and its shot at the Central Suburban League South title with a 54-35 defeat in Evanston (24-4, 8-1).

The Trevians have played their last two-plus games without star junior Christopher Kirkpatrick, who injured his ankle in a loss to Fremd on Feb. 4. And with other guys in and out of the lineup with the regular bumps, bruises and illnesses of a winter sports season, New Trier’s lineups — and practices — look different depending on the day.

“It’s been tough, but not as tough as you’d think,” Smith said. “Guys are stepping up. I’m surprised at how easily a lot of the guys have stepped up. I was proud of how those guys stepped up today. I thought we played tough. I thought we played hard.”

The final score may have been lopsided, but the Trevians and Wildkits went back and forth for a majority of the contest.

A New Trier surge in the second quarter, which included 5 points from sophomore Elton Jaegerskog, led to a knotted score (20-20) at halftime.

Evanston found its perimeter game in the second half, though. The Kits — leveraging the Trevians’ post double teams to get the ball to open shooters — buried three three-pointers in the third quarter and four more in the fourth. Three of those treys came off the hands of Theo Rocca, who scored a game-high 15 points.

New Trier coach Scott Fricke said the shorthanded Trevians ran out of gas.

“Learning to play without (Kirkpatrick) is pretty much what we’ve been doing. I think we showed we could play a tough game tonight,” he said. “But our guys got tired.”

With Kirkpatrick out, junior Max Vogel was the Trevians primary ball-handler. He scored 8 points, while Smith had a team-high 10, Jaegerskog added 9, and Maks DePalo chipped in 4.

New Trier finishes up its regular season with a road game against Glenbrook South on Friday, Feb. 14, and then a CSL crossover matchup likely with Vernon Hills on Feb. 18 in Winnetka.

The Trevians will host an IHSA Class 4A sectional, within which regional play begins on Feb. 24.

Fricke said barring a setback, Kirkpatrick will play again this season, and New Trier won’t rush him back into action with postseason play around the corner.

The Trevians’ lineup may be in flux at the moment, but in line with his optimistic outlook, Smith likes where his team stands.

“I think we’re in a great place,” he said. “With (Kirkpatrick) being out, a couple guys being sick, now guys are accepting bigger roles and getting better. So now, when (Kirkpatrick) is back and they have to come off the bench they’ll be ready.”

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