On senior night, Feb. 13, the New Trier boys basketball team picked up a crucial 49-43 victory over conference rival Glenbrook South in what was a tale of two halves.
It was also a memorable night for the ten seniors of the team.
“It was really fun to experience this special evening with the other nine guys,” said senior guard Patrick Kelley. “We have all become so close over the course of high school.”
The Trevians came out inspired, allowing just nine points in the first half and forcing turnovers on each of the Titans’ first six possessions of the second quarter.
At the halfway mark, it was New Trier’s defense that stood out and made a serious impact on the first half.
The zone defense proved to be GBS’s kryptonite, after seriously struggling to put points on the board in the second quarter. Meanwhile, New Trier hit three second quarter threes, giving them a fourteen point lead at half.
“The turnovers made them a little bit more timid, making them afraid to attack the zone,” added Trevians junior guard Tino Malnati in an interview with CSL Insider.
Despite failing to reach double digits in the first half, GBS took advantage of New Trier switching from zone to man-to-man defense in the second half.
After five straight points from New Trier to start the second, the Titans went on an 8-0 run of their own to cut the lead to single digits, accompanied by three Chase Daniel three pointers. The Trevians regained momentum, but GBS wasn’t done, as they continued to chip away at the lead in the fourth quarter.
The Titans began a 15-5 fourth quarter run with a layup and foul by junior forward Jimmy Martinelli, who capitalized in the post against the man-to-man defense with 9 fourth quarter points.
Martinelli and the Titans had cut the lead down to one, at 42-41. The run would show to be too little too late for the visitors, and the Trevians ended the game on a 7-2 run to clinch the 49-43 victory.
At this point in the season there is a lot of focus on the playoffs for all teams, and a far inferior opponent in GBS causing such trouble for New Trier could spark a possible sign of concern for the Trevians going forward.
“I think we played a solid game,” said senior forward Andrew Hauser, “It felt like there was a lid on the hoop at times which allowed them [GBS] to go on runs and stay in the game.”
While closer than it should have been, the game ended just the way coach Scott Fricke wanted it to, according to Hauser.
“He [Fricke] has been stressing executing and winning these upcoming games to finish the season,” he said. “If we play well, that will give us some confidence going into the games that really matter and will also help with our playoff seeding.”
Although valuable, the win was just a small detail in what may prove to be a crucial night for New Trier’s season as a whole. It was much more than one game for the Trevians, it was a sign of a possible turn of the corner for the entire season.
After the conference opener against Evanston, the Trevians fell to 2-4 on the season, and looked far from impressive on the court. Now they are 17-9, a stark turnaround from their poor start to the season. Comparing the play of today’s team to the one back in December, it’s night and day, claimed Hauser.
“I think now we are a lot more consistent, especially on the inside,” he said. “Center Sean Boyd started off the season in a rough way, coming off a punctured lung and mono in the summer and fall. He has since found his touch and is playing great.”
The Trevians will look to keep the momentum going as they go for their twelfth win in their last fifteen games as they travel to Waukegan on Feb. 20, before closing the season at home against Niles North on Feb. 24. And just like they did against GBS, the Trevians will likely rely on their defense to get two more crucial conference wins.
“I thought our defense in general was good in the first half,” mentioned Fricke regarding the team’s stellar defensive play. “And at the way end our defense came up big when we needed it the most.”