Trevians step up following star’s injury, but top-ranked DePaul pulls away in Pontiac

New Trier basketball is learning what life is like without star senior Christopher Kirkpatrick.

And life’s still pretty good.

A knee injury sidelining Kirkpatrick, the Trevians (13-2) has made a statement in the potent Pontiac Holiday Tournament, advancing to the third-place game with a pair of wins and then a hang-tough loss to the tournament’s and state’s top-ranked team, DePaul Prep (14-1), on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

New Trier fell to Curie in the third-place game on Wednesday evening.

“I definitely feel our team is one of the most talented teams in the state even without Chris,” senior Max Vogel said after the loss Wednesday. “Everyone has been stepping up. I think we all felt we had a great shot to win the whole tournament, not just a few games.

“We had a great effort against DePaul, and a lot to learn from when the sectional comes around.”

Vogel has picked up more ball-handling and leadership responsibilities with Kirkpatrick out and stuffed the stat sheet Wednesday, recording 7 points and team-highs in rebounds (6), assists (3) and steals (3).

The senior was one of five Trevians to score in the 50-36 loss to DePaul. Freshman Denym Wallace led the way with 9 points, while senior Danny Houlihan added 7 and Matthew Logue and Elton Jaegerskog 6 apiece.

Trevians made just 1 of 11 three-point shots on the day.

Despite the 14-point final deficit, the two state powers were tied 29-29 late in the third quarter.

From there, DePaul — led by senior Rykan Woo (19 points) — scored eight straight and 14 of the next 16 points to seize control of the semifinal tilt.

The Trevians, on the other hand, turned the ball over three times and missed five of six shots during the 14-2 stretch.

“Guys were pressed to make plays because they saw the (DePaul) lead at six and then eight, and we did things we don’t normally do,” New Trier coach Scott Fricke said. “We were being too individualized, instead of getting shots and assists for others — that’s what we do.”

The decisive Rams’ run was reminiscent of the start of the contest, when DePaul surged to a 12-2 lead.

New Trier stepped up, however, and a Wallace three-pointer gave the Trevians a 17-16 advantage halfway through the second quarter.

The teams were knotted at 21-21 at the halftime break and jockeyed for position most of the third, until the Rams found their way.

“We started to let our offense dictate our defense,” Vogel said of the momentum shift in DePaul’s favor. “We’d miss shots … and have defensive lapses. If those don’t happen, we’re right there with one of the best teams in the state. So we’re on an upward trajectory.”

The Trevians proved their mettle a day earlier.

After an opening win against Aurora West, New Trier met unbeaten and state-ranked Homewood-Flossmoor in a quarterfinal and used a third-quarter burst of their own to take down the Vikings 69-64 and advance to the semifinals.

Wallace scored 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting in the victory. Houlihan added 18 points and Jaegerskog 15 with 8 rebounds.

Fricke said that victory proved the Trevians can play with the best teams in the state, and against DePaul, New Trier made “young mistakes” late and “ran out of gas.”

Fricke said Kirkpatrick, a Princeton commit, was injured in the championship game of the team’s winter-break tournament in Arizona. Kirkpatrick hit a decisive three-pointer but in the final three seconds hurt his knee attempting to give a foul.

He reportedly will be reevaluated in a couple of weeks when more will be known about the extent of the knee injury.

In the meantime, the Trevians will look to others, such as forwards Wallace and junior Owen Foster, to step into the lineup and produce.

Fricke said his team hasn’t hesitated.

“That was obviously a big blow for us when we found out (Kirkpatrick) was going to be out,” the coach said, “but instead of us pouting, we had one of the best weeks of practice before this (tournament). Our kids are hungry and they want to win and they know they are good enough to win if we play together.

“Our attitude has been great. These guys have been great and working their tails off.”

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