Evanston Township (Ill.) outlasts Providence (Fla.) in back-and-forth affair

Monday truly was a long one for Evanston Township (Ill.).

Early that morning, the Wildkits were boarding the first of three flights en route to Myrtle Beach from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Though sleep may have been the first thing on their minds, there was still a basketball game to play.

Counting sheep will be much easier tonight for Evanston Township after earning a 53-52 win over Providence (Fla.) in each team’s Beach Ball Classic opener at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

A game that featured 13 ties and 15 lead changes, a lay-up and-1 by Lance Jones proved to be the difference for the Wildkits in what proved to be a day chock full of mental challenges for the team. According to Evanston Township head man Mike Ellis, it was all about perseverance.

“(Monday night) will finally be a chance for us to exhale,” he said. “Our schedule (prior to the Beach Ball Classic) has really tested us. Without the schedule prior, the trials and tribulations, and lessons may not have happened, and we may not have learned how to close out games.

“I’m thankful our guys have learned and caught on to that because otherwise tonight may have been the lesson, and we’d be learning by way of a loss instead of the other way around.”

Tight throughout, neither team had a lead of more than four points. This was particularly true in the second half, where the teams often traded punches in the form of lay-ups and timely shots.

“It was a great basketball game between two great teams,” said Providence coach Jim Martin. “But this one came down to turnovers, and we had too many of them.”

For the game, the Stallions committed 17 turnovers. But in spite of those lost possessions, they were in the mix with seconds to go, needing a 3-pointer to tie the game.

Though leading the way with a game-high 26 points, Zackery Bryant needed a few more for Providence, his shot from beyond the arc caroming off the rim and into the arms of Evanston Townships’ Chris Hamil.

Hamil had the opportunity to put the game on ice by making the front end of a 1-and-1, but his free throw dribbled out of the basket giving Providence one more shot at tying the game.

Instead of going for a 3-pointer to tie the game, Bryant took the open path to the bucket. While able to add to his scoring output on the evening, time would run out on Providence’s chance at taking the game to an extra frame.

“It’s a part of basketball,” Martin said. “There were times we were trying to get other guys involved and maybe if we’d done that we could have gotten better shots. But again, this is basketball and those things happen.”

Jones led Evanston Township with 15 points, while Nojel Eastern finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

In addition to Bryant’s effort, Kyle Marion was the other Providence player in double figures with 12 points.

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Evanston Township (Ill.) outlasts Providence (Fla.) in back-and-forth affair."