New Trier gives Maine South its best shot, but it’s too little too late in regional title bout

The final score rarely tells the whole story.

And the 67-54 result of the IHSA Class 4A New Trier Regional championship on Thursday is no different.

Maine South claimed victory and its sixth straight regional title, but the Hawks had to fend off a valiant and extended Trevians’ comeback bid that lasted for 75% of the contest.

When New Trier’s season came to an end, it did so following three straight quarters of winning basketball.

“At the end of first (quarter), we came back together, we talked about staying connected and being there for each other and we really responded,” Trevians coach Stephanie Kuzmanic said. “As a coach, I can’t ask for more. They played their hearts out. They left everything on the floor. And I am extremely proud of them.”

The Hawks’ first-quarter blitz on Thursday was the difference-maker.

The Hawks signature full-court press overwhelmed the Trevians in the early going. Maine South turned New Trier over nine times en route to a 16-point first-quarter lead at 23-7.

Kuzmanic said her team was prepared for the pressure, even using boys as scout-team players in practice. But come game time, the Hawks executed.

“That’s their style of play. When they’re that good at it, there is only so much you can do,” she said. “… We felt pretty prepared, but when you play a team of that caliber, sometimes it takes a minute to settle in and I also think playoff nerves (played a factor).”

The Trevians, though, turned things around.

They matched the Hawks in the second quarter, 16-16, and outscored them in both the third (14-12) and fourth (17-16) quarters, cutting the deficit to single digits several times along the way.

New Trier senior Avery Schecter said her team held belief that it would win.

“Definitely. We knew basketball is a game of runs and they were going to go on runs,” she said, “but when our time came to go on a run, it felt really good and we knew it wasn’t over until it was over, and we needed to play through every second.”

A free throw by freshman Bevin Gemp brought the Trevians’ to within six, 57-51, with just over three minutes to play.

The Hawks’ Emily Currey and Hayden Fahy then hit big shots to extend the lead, and Maine South sank its free throws down the stretch to hold off the Trevians.

Junior Emerson Buck, as she’s been most of her three-year varsity stretch, was a consistent force on Thursday. She finished with a team-high 17 points and added 7 rebounds. Schecter contributed 11 points.

Underclassmen gave New Trier plenty of juice during the comeback attempt. Sophomore Catherine Shean recorded 9 points and 8 rebounds, Gemp 3 points and 3 steals, junior Sophie Romick 8 points, and sophomore Nadeen Awwad 4 points.

“We’re pretty young and we played a lot of kids who do not have a lot of experience out there,” Kuzmanic said. “I think what they did to spark that comeback was pretty amazing. And now it gives us something to build off for next season.” 

The Trevians complete their season at 15-18; though, they were 8-6 down the stretch in Kuzmanic’s first year at the helm.

Seniors Schecter and Grace Bowie anchored a rotation of primarily underclassmen that also included junior Vic Wainscott and junior Elle Ieuter.

After taking over the program, Kuzmanic said she gathered with Schecter, Bowie and other team leaders to define the direction of New Trier basketball.

Schecter provided a positive review of the results.

“New Trier girls basketball has given me a community, a place that I could go to no matter what was going on outside of basketball,” she said. “I knew I had a sisterhood of girls behind me that would always support me no matter what.”

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