Winnetka, Sports

Trevians get right against Ramblers in annual Thanksgiving week showdown

You only get one chance to make a first impression, but coach Scott Fricke and New Trier basketball will have to settle for a rivalry win.

Fricke said his team’s opening-night performance — a 56-52 loss to Lake Zurich on Nov. 25 — was a problem, but against Loyola Academy on Wednesday night in Wilmette the Trevians showed him something.

“We showed tonight that we can defend,” Fricke said. “We played the worst defense I’ve ever seen and competed terribly in our first game of the season. … Tonight we showed we can move our feet and rebound and play. I’m going to sleep a little better tonight, not because of the win but because of the way we played.”

New Trier kept the Ramblers off the glass and the scoreboard for much of the night en route to a 46-35 victory in the annual pre-Thanksgiving matchup.

The Trevians controlled much of the action, grabbing an early lead and expanding it to 13 points by the third quarter. Loyola, however, battled back to get within six points, 36-30, in the fourth quarter.

Jumpers from juniors Chris Kirkpatrick and Danny Houlihan — Houlihan’s coming with a converted free throw — padded New Trier’s lead in the final few minutes, cinching the victory.

The Trevians were led by their returning starters. Kirkpatrick scored a game-high 20 points, while senior and three-year starter Colby Smith tallied 9.

Trevs junior Chris Kirkpatrick is fouled on his way to the hoop against Loyola.

After looking for his outside shot early, Kirkpatrick began taking the ball to the hoop in the second quarter, sinking three layups to end the half with 12 points. He also drilled 7 of 8 free throws on the evening.

“My three-point shot was coming off a bit short each time, but I know that I’m a dynamic player and more than just a shooter so I know I can get downhill,” he said. “A big thing is we’re trying to get free throws, get consistent points on the board, so I’m trying to get downhill and get a layup or get to the line.” 

First-year Trevians starter Max Vogel chipped in 7 points and 8 rebounds, and junior Danny Houlihan added 6 points.

New Trier is coming off back-to-back trips to the state’s final four, collecting third-place trophies each time. With Kirkpatrick, Smith and Houlihan returning from last year’s rotation, expectations remain high for the Trevians.

That said, Fricke and Kirkpatrick agreed that this year’s Trevians are looking to create their own identity, and that may take a while for a group of players who have not spent much time competing together.

“This is a different team,” Fricke said. “We need to improve defensively. We need to improve with our toughness. We need to play together. We haven’t played much together, this group. Every time we do that we’ll get better and better.”

Speaking of a work in progress, the Ramblers’ identity may not be formed until January. But that is an annual tradition for a program that rosters players who also compete for the football team. And that football team still has one more game to play.

Loyola guard Trey Williams looks for an opening in the rivalry matchup Nov. 27.

In the early going, the Ramblers (2-1) have been led by junior point guard Trey Williams, who dropped a team-high 12 points against New Trier. Junior Samuel Golden added 10 points, and sophomore Luke Alvarez 9 (on three 3-pointers) on Wednesday. Junior Danny Lee grabbed 7 rebounds.

Loyola coach Tom Livatino said his team’s deficiency on the defensive glass hurt their chances against New Trier and he hopes it serves as a learning opportunity for his young squad.

“(The Trevians) are really good. I think the biggest factor for us is in the first half is we gave up seven offensive rebounds,” Livatino said. “That came back to hurt us. This (annual) game comes down to which team is the tougher team and we weren’t. They were. Not only do they have some pretty skilled guards, but they were much tougher than us in the first half.

“Some of that has to do with our experience. … We have zero minutes of varsity game experience with this group. When our football players come back, there will be a very different makeup of our team.”

Four seniors — forward and three-year starter Brendan Loftus and wings Donovan Robinson, Ryan Fitzgerald and Conlon Kane — will join Loyola basketball after the football season ends on Saturday, Nov. 30, when the Ramblers play for the Class 8A state championship.

When they return, they’ll unite with Williams, Golden and the other Ramblers. What exactly will that look like? Livatino wants to know too.

“I think this is an evolving team,” he said. “… We don’t really know what we’re going to become to be honest with you, but we’ll be good.”


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joe coughlin
Joe Coughlin

Joe Coughlin is a co-founder and the editor in chief of The Record. He leads investigative reporting and reports on anything else needed. Joe has been recognized for his investigative reporting and sports reporting, feature writing and photojournalism. Follow Joe on Twitter @joec2319

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