Evanston streaks past Orr, stakes claim for No. 1 ranking

Even Evanston coach Mike Ellis is surprised by how quickly his group has developed its chemistry.

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Evanston’s Blake Peters (15) switches the ball to his left hand to avoid the defender.

Evanston’s Blake Peters (15) switches the ball to his left hand to avoid the defender.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Jerrel Oliver, one of the organizers of the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel, showed up at Evanston’s locker room shortly after the Wildkits defeated Orr 67-60 on Sunday. 

The shootout provides T-shirts for all of the players. Oliver needed some extra-large shirts, and after watching Evanston, he knew the Wildkits wouldn’t be needing them. An assistant coach made the switch, taking some more mediums. That might be insulting to some teams, but the Wildkits have turned their lack of size into a badge of honor and an advantage. 

No. 2 Evanston (8-0) didn’t let a lack of size keep them from advancing to the Class 4A state championship game last season. This team is already playing faster, and it’s only December. Even coach Mike Ellis is surprised by how quickly his group has developed its chemistry. 

“I love how they are trusting one another, that if they hit the open man, eventually they are going to become the open man,” Ellis said. “They are doing a great job of making teams scramble and come out. Everyone on this team has elevated their game from where it was in the summer.”

No. 12 Orr (4-3) loves to play at a breakneck pace, and that played right into the Wildkits’ hands. 

“Totally,” junior Blake Peters said. “We like the up-and-down pace of the game. Sometimes when you play the suburban teams with 20-pass offenses and back screens, you get really tired on defense and you get on offense and you are gasping for air.”

Peters led the Wildkits with 19 points and six rebounds. Elijah Bull added 15 points. 

There were times it looked like Evanston was putting on a passing clinic. It even impressed Spartans coach Lou Adams.”

“They passed it so fast,” Adams said. “That is a pretty good team.”

Orr was playing its third game in three days. The Spartans beat Pinckneyville in double overtime Saturday night in Edwardsville, then had to drive back to Chicago early Sunday. 

“I’m not taking anything away from Evanston, but we were tired,” Adams said. “We made some bonehead plays down the stretch, but I like my team. We are young, we are fighting.”

Orr has won consecutive Class 2A state titles with completely different starting lineups. The Spartans have a new one again this season. 

Bryce Hall, a transfer from Simeon, led Orr with 16 points, and Demarius Splunge contributed 10 points and nine rebounds. Norvell Meadows, a Prosser transfer, had 13 points and Shaun Harris added 12 points and seven rebounds. 

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