Wildkits run away from Ramblers in defensive sectional showdown

Loyola Academy boys basketball is known for its relentless defense, but the Ramblers got a taste of their own medicine against red-hot Evanston on Friday night.

The Wildkits, who have yet to allow 40 points in the postseason, put the clamps on the Ramblers in a 48-32 victory in the IHSA Class 4A New Trier Sectional championship.

“Every bucket is a grind and we knew that coming in, playing them earlier this year and seeing what they did to us,” Loyola senior Brendan Loftus said, referencing a 49-33 loss to Evanston on Jan. 21. “We knew every point would be tough. We just tried to take our makes, but I feel like in the second half, we just forced too many shots.”

Ramblers coach Tom Livatino said he thought his team could get into their schemes against Evanston, but the Wildkits’ pressure often forced them out of their sets.

The result was Loyola improvising and taking the first opening, which Livatino said played into Evanston’s hands.

“We just took some shots they wanted us to take,” he said. “That’s not necessarily on our guys. Our guys are just trying to make plays, but at times we tried a little bit too much.

He added, “I love how hard we played. I don’t think it was one of our more disciplined games, but I love how hard we played and how hard we competed.”

Early on, Evanston was just as much a part of the slog as Loyola. The teams tussled to a 6-6 draw after one quarter. And neither team tallied 20 points in the first half; though by halftime, the Kits had grabbed a four-point lead at 19-15.

Evanston found what it needed early in the second half, getting to the basket and scoring the first eight points of the third quarter to break the game open.

“We were making mistakes and they were costly,” Loftus said. “They just really broke our press. We played off our heels, and we kind of gave them those points and we couldn’t come back from there.”

The Wildkits also got some three-point shots to fall in the second and third quarters (4 combined threes), while the Ramblers converted just one three-pointer all game.

A buzzer-beating jumper from Evanston’s Ben Ojala gave the Kits a 36-22 lead going into the final stanza.

Loyola kept fighting, cutting the deficit to nine with about three minutes to play, but Evanston was quick to extend and keep the Ramblers at a distance.

Livatino credited the Kits, who moved to 29-5 on the season and will take on Glenbard West in a supersectional Monday evening with a spot in the state finals on the line.

“That’s a very, very good team,” he said. “They are very connected offensively and defensively. We knew it was going to be really tough for us. That’s the most connected Evanston team I’ve seen. They play well together. They flow on offense, they are good defensively. They are going to be a really tough out for anybody in the state.”

Theo Rocca led Evanston with a game-high 16 points. Ojala, a freshman, and George Richardson, a senior, scored 8 apiece.

Loyola were most successful on Friday through center Brendan Loftus, who finished with 15 points. He also added 10 rebounds to add to his program-leading total. Senior Donovan Robinson scored 10 points, while junior Trey Williams added 4 to go with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

The Ramblers finish their campaign with 26 wins versus 9 losses, a regional championship (their second straight) and a third-place finish in the challenging Chicago Catholic League.

Livatino said his nine seniors — including four Loyola football players (Loftus, Robinson, Ryan Fitzgerald and Conlon Kane) — set the tone for this year’s success and also the future. Three Ramblers starters — Williams, sophomore guard Luke Alvarez and junior guard Sam Golden — should return next season.

“They really helped (the underclassmen) grow up, teach them what it takes,” Livatino said of his seniors. “And that will be a springboard for the future. Our future is super bright. We bring back players.”

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