New Trier can’t keep up with three-time champ DePaul Prep in sectional

The plan was going well, but plans change.

And competing on a basketball court against DePaul Prep in recent years, that happens a lot

“I thought our plan was good and I thought we started the game locked in defensively,” New Trier coach Scott Fricke said following his team’s sectional loss on Tuesday night. “Once the game gets going and they can deviate from what they’re doing, they have so many guys who make plays. It’s very difficult.”

And the difficulties persisted until the final buzzer, with the Rams claiming a 56-38 victory in the IHSA Class 4A sectional semifinal March 3 at Loyola Academy in Wilmette.

To Fricke’s point, New Trier had an early 7-4 lead and trailed just 12-9 after a quarter.

But DePaul had more answers on both ends of the floor from there.

The Trevians struggled to find open space in the Rams defense, a problem that persisted all evening.

“Their guards are good at overplaying things, getting in gaps, and then they have a rim presence,” New Trier senior Christopher Kirkpatrick said. “Honestly, they are just a really well coached, disciplined team. If you create an advantage, they are good at scrambling too.”

On the other end, the Rams took turns going to work.

Guards Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers scored 9 and 7 first-half points, respectively, while star forward Rashaun Porter (game-high 15 points) tallied 6 points in the second quarter and 7 more in the fourth. And Zion Lee got 10 of his 11 points in the second half.

Several of the Rams points came via second-chance opportunities, as DePaul was successful on the offensive glass.

“I thought they really beat us on the offensive rebounds, and that’s where it all fell apart for us,” New Trier senior Danny Houlihan said. “They just kept building that lead over and over.”

The Trevians Max Vogel drained a deep three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give his team a bit of momentum, down seven, headed to the locker room.

New Trier then got within five points multiple times in the third quarter — but no closer.

As DePaul’s lead grew, the Trevians began taking more defensive risks, and any comeback hopes were squashed as the Rams took advantage and converted shots at the rim.

“That’s when they really started to pull forward, is when we had to do stuff we’re not used to — pressuring and double teaming,” Fricke said.

The coach added that the Trevians ran into a juggernaut in DePaul Prep — which is seeking its fourth straight IHSA championship (2A in 2023, 3A in 2024 and 2025) and this season is led by five dynamic seniors — but his team accomplished plenty.

“We’re playing the No. 1 or 2 team in the state — someone said they’re ranked 15th in the nation,” Fricke said. “That’s tough. And I thought our guys were really prepped and locked in. I thought we had a good start to the game, but they’re going to make shots. They just kept bringing one after the other of very talented guys.

“We dealt with adversity this season. I’m so proud of these guys. You lose your best player (Kirkpatrick) in mid December and you play over half the season without him and you’re able to maintain and get big wins without him — I’m really proud of these guys. They need to hold their heads up high.”

Junior Matthew Logue led New Trier on Tuesday with 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Kirkpatrick — a Princeton commit and 1,000-point high school scorer who missed 17 games with a knee injury — scored 11 points Tuesday.

Houlihan also achieved the coveted 1,000-point milestone as a Trevian. The senior is off to High Point next year. And the Trevians, who finished 26-8, also wave goodbye to two-year starter Max Vogel, a Colby College recruit, as well as seven other seniors, like Will Baxter and Bryden Dohnal, both of whom found the basket in their final high school game.

“It’s crazy it’s over, but this has been such a close group of guys and I’ve made so many memories,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m thankful that I could be with them.”

Houlihan added, “This is the most fun I’ve ever had, playing with this team. I can’t believe it’s over. This has been the best four years of my life and if I could do it over again, I would every time.”

Along with Logue, starters Elton Jaegerskog, a junior, and Denym Wallace, a freshman, highlight potential returnees next season. Junior Owen Foster also saw plenty of time in the starting lineup.

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