Boys basketball pulls away for victory vs. GBN
Carragher propels team to 10th win
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Carragher pulls up for a jump shot against GBN on Dec. 12
Fueled by a 12-point third quarter by senior shooting guard John Carragher, the varsity boys basketball team defeated the Glenbrook North Spartans 59-35 at Gates Gymnasium on Jan. 10, improving their overall record to 10-8 and their conference record to 2-2.
Carragher, who recorded a game-high 17 points, accounted for all but two of the team’s 14 third quarter points, stretching their 32-25 halftime advantage into a 13-point lead that was too much for the Spartans to overcome.
“We got off to a slow start, but we continued to play solid defense and shot the ball really well in the second half,” said senior point guard William Ryan. “We knew [Glenbrook North] could shoot, so the game plan was to limit the amount of open threes they took.”
The Trevians’ stifling defense, anchored by Ryan and senior forward Emmett Burnside, held the Spartans to just 10 points in the second half, holding Glenbrook North senior Ben Foster to a scoreless second half with their energized play on defense.
“Our adjustments were really in how we were guarding their individual players. We showed them a 1-3-1 [zone defense] and a 2-3 [zone defense], but 95% of the time, we were playing man-to-man in that game,” said Head Coach Scott Fricke.
“Those [Glenbrook North] kids are some really talented players, and our guys did a really good job of guarding them.”
Although the Spartans tallied 25 points in the first half, the Trevians managed to keep pace despite relatively quiet starts from Carragher and Burnside.
Ryan orchestrated an offensive attack that yielded eight successful three-pointers in the first half, three of which came from junior guard Will Geis, who finished as the team’s second-leading scorer with 11 points off the bench.
“I have a knack for putting the ball in the basket, finding my teammates, and tracking the ball when it comes off the rim,” said Geis.
“I am always ready to go when my name is called, but I still need to make myself a consistent two-way player where I am just as helpful on the defensive end.”
Geis’ valiant effort highlighted a bounce-back performance from the team after a sluggish, albeit successful outing against Niles West on Jan. 7. Although they earned their first conference victory in the 40-28 decision, it was the team’s second lowest-scoring performance of the season.
“We played a game at Niles West and didn’t play nearly as well as we have played this season, so I was interested if we could get back to playing with our intensity and how we normally play; and we were able to do that,” said Fricke.
“I thought that we played really hard; we had some kids off the bench who came in and knocked some shots down; and in the second half, we really took control of the game.”
While the team’s overhauled roster and middling record would suggest that they are an easily dismissable opponent, they have managed to remain competitive in most games this season, particularly during the prestigious Pontiac Tournament.
Although they finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, they remained competitive in a 38-32 loss to 12-3 St. Charles North on Dec. 26, and Carrigher tallied a season-high 33 points in a 58-50 victory over Bloomington on Dec. 28.
“We walk into every game with the same mindset: play our hearts out and get a win. None of the games we have lost this year have been blowouts; we have been in each of them and easily could have won any of the games,” said Carragher.
“As we head into the second half of the season, we look forward to continuing to compete at a high level.”
Although the team is currently projected to finish as an eighth seed in the regional playoffs, they will have ample opportunity to make up ground in the coming weeks.
They will travel to Glenbrook South on Jan. 17 in hopes of avenging their overtime loss from December before hosting rival Evanston on Jan. 24 with the chance to split the season series.
“We play together and are a very close team on and off the court. I believe we can not only win the majority of our regular season games but also make a deep playoff run,” said Geis. “Teams will overlook us, and we will make them regret it.”