CSL Varsity: Adams POTW; Big Girls Tourney at Niles West; New Trier Hoops Notes
Several CSL teams win holiday tournaments, and boast several MVP winners.
This week’s CSL Varsity Player of the Week is Evanston’s Prince Adams. See the boys basketball section for details.
OF NOTE
On Saturday or Sunday of every week, I’d love to get Player of the Week nominations. Please don’t nominate yourself, and if you are going to nominate someone, give a reason why, some stats, some info is necessary! You can reply to my Twitter call for those nominations, DM me on Twitter at @CSL_Varsity or email me at Kalebcarter4256@gmail.com
GIRLS BASKETBALL
I was in attendance in Wilmette Wednesday as New Trier sustained a 36-26 loss to Loyola Academy at the shared holiday event between the two squads.
“We didn’t rebound it well in the first game. We rebounded well against Stevenson and then we didn’t rebound it well tonight (against the Ramblers),” coach Teri Rodgers said. “We’re doing good stuff defensively and then when you don’t get the rebound, it defeats all that work that you did, so we’ve definitely got to get better at going after balls.”
The Trevians were outrebounded 33-25 and turned the ball over 20 times.
Rachael Zacks showed what makes her a capable scorer, shaking off a slow start to score 13 and grab 6 rebounds. Kate Sacarro had 8 points as well.
The Trevians (3-2) play their first conference game against Niles West on Tuesday and play at Maine South later in the week.
“The CSL is really competitive,” Rodgers said. “These games tell you what you need to get better at. It’s a much better litmus test than just playing teams that (you beat), it’s a bit of reality of this is what we’re doing well.”
Deerfield won the Schaumburg Thanksgiving tourney title and moved to 5-0 with a 77-47 win over Maine West. Senior Vermont commit Lexi Kerstein was tourney MVP. Kerstein averaged 15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 steals per game. She’s averaging 45% from 3-point range this season.
Maine South took runner-up at Buffalo Grove’s Bison Classic to Hersey.
BOYS BASKETBALL
I attended the New Trier win over Loyola Academy. The Trevian defense was on top of things from the tip, holding the Ramblers to 2 points in the first quarter of a 43-35 Trevians win.
Of the things that stood out:
Sharpshooter Jake Fiegen didn’t get going from deep, but that was okay because Logan Feller and Ian Brown picked up some of the slack. Feller’s game is very likable. Fiegen scored all 13 of his points after the halftime break.
Lone sophomore on the roster Colby Smith has an excellent-looking 3-point shot and should be someone CSL foes will be sweating about for the next 3 seasons.
Tyler Van Gorp is quite the presence, a stringy-6 feet, 10 inches with a wingspan that has to be approaching or over 7 feet, Van Gorp makes nothing easy around the rim for opponents. And when New Trier had to, they could take Van Gorp off the floor and do relatively well with a smaller lineup.
The Trevians went 3-1 at the shared NT/LA event, falling only to champs St. Ignatius, 48-43.
ALSO, I’ve got a senior spotlight on a New Trier player coming out this week.
Evanston’s Prince Adams owned the paint throughout the Wildkits’ run to the Saint Viator tourney title. He had 18 points, 16 rebounds vs. Antioch, 19 points, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks vs. Prospect, and averaged 14.3 points, 13.5 rebounds over 4 games, all of which the Wildkits won. Adams is the first basketball awardee of the CSL Varsity Newsletter Player of the Week.
Glenbrook South won Palatine’s Molitor Tourney.
Josh Fridman was MVP of the GBN/St. Pat’s Tourney that the Spartans won by going 4-0 and blasting St. Patrick 60-41 in the title game.
Niles North took 2nd at the Battle of the Bridge, falling to DePaul College Prep in the title game.
Reid Olson scored 30 and Yaris Irby had 29 in a win over Lane Tech in the Battle of the Bridge. The Vikings fell in the championship game to Depaul College Prep.
Maine East improved to 3-1 under first-year coach Sergio Muro with a 64-58 win over Schaumburg.
Tristan Walton garnered some player of the week nominations after averaging 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game over the course of the ridged Thanksgiving Tournament.
Davee Flowers scored 34 points in a 66-58 Niles West win over Payton College Prep. The Wolves are 2-2 after a week.
Vernon Hills’ Milan Raval boasted a scoring total of 31 points, including 7 3-pointers in a win over Northridge.
Deerfield’s Miles Cohan hit a buzzer-beater in a 42-39 win over Mundelein.
Maine South first-year coach Colin Wehman earned his first win as Hawks head man in a 63-25 win over Fenger.
GIRLS WRESTLING
Niles West’s first-ever girls wrestling tournament, the Niles West Girls Invite, was contested this weekend, with Maine South taking 8th place to lead CSL squads at the event.
CSL winners at the tournament were:
Angela Lee (Maine South, 115)
Al Ghala Mariam Al Radi (Niles West, 140)
Lee defeated Evanston’s Ariana Flores by 6-1 decision in the final.
BOYS WRESTLING
Glenbrook South claimed 2 weights as the Titans earned 2nd as a team at Vernon Hills’ Varsity Cougar Thanksgiving Invitational. Max Brown won 138 and Alex Enkbaatar was first at 220.
Evanston took 4th at the tourney, led by Marco Terrezzi’s first-place finish at 126 and Charlie Bolichs title at 170.
DANCE
Maine East took 2nd at its first IHSA tournament since 2017.
GYMNASTICS
BOWLING
Evanston defeated Waukegan 2,769 to 2,280.
DID YOU SEE?
New Trier vs. Loyola Academy girls basketball pictures
New Trier vs. Loyola Academy boys basketball photos
GRAD CATCHUPS
Maine South 2022 graduate Emily Pape is off to quite a start for Cornell women’s basketball.
