Boys Basketball: New Trier holds off Evanston
Updated: January 6, 2012 11:43PM
Josh Irving buried back-to-back three-pointers, the first at the buzzer to end the third quarter and the other to start the fourth, pulling Evanston within a possession of No. 8-ranked New Trier.
But Connor Boehm and the other New Trier seniors weren’t about to let the visitors spoil this special night. In a game usually played at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena, host New Trier earned 58-48 Central Suburban South win.
The Dartmouth-bound Boehm, who scored only one basket in third quarter, was a difference-maker in the fourth. The 6-foot-7 forward scored nine points in the first three minutes of the fourth to stake the Trevians to a nine-point lead, and they held off the Wildkits down the stretch by going 6-for-6 on free throws in the final 1:01.
Boehm finished with a game-best 26 points.
“It was awesome,” senior guard David Bragiel said of the win in front of the sold-out crowd in Winnetka. “It felt like the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of. All the students came out to support us. It was awesome.”
The win solidified New Trier’s place atop the CSL South standings at 4-0, while the loss dropped defending conference champion Evanston to 2-2 in league play.
“Any time you beat Evanston, it’s a big one,” said New Trier coach Scott Fricke, whose club improved to 13-2 overall. “Any win in the conference is a big one.”
The Trevians took a 27-23 into the break and extended the advantage to 10 less than two minutes into the third. With three more baskets in a more late in the quarter, it looked as if the Trevians would run away with this one.
But Irving’s pull-up three-pointer in traffic changed all that. The senior then knocked down another one 24 seconds into the fourth. Suddenly, New Trier led by only three points.
“We know what he’s capable of as a shooter,” Bragiel said. “We were not shocked by that.”
All New Trier did was turn to Boehm, who pounded away in the paint. Late in the quarter, he showed his value on the other end by blocking consecutive shots in the lane to keep Evanston (11-4) off the scoreboard.
“We were patient, and we waited for our opportunities,” Fricke said.
Irving led Evanston with 18 points. Leonard Garron followed with 14 points, while Austin Angel scored 12 for the winners.
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