New Trier Edges Niles West in Boys Basketball

After a 40-minute postgame meeting with the team, Niles West basketball coach Bob Williams figured the Wovles' 62-60 loss to New Trier on Tuesday was a learning experience.

A painful one, perhaps, but a learning experience just the same.

New Trier guard David Bragiel dribbled around the defense to score the game-winning basket with eight seconds left, and the Trevians had won the Central Suburban League South Division opener for both teams. The loss was the first of the season for 6-1 Niles West.

Connor Boehm, New Trier's 6-foot-7-inch junior center, had 33 points, but the Wolves led by seven points early in the fourth quarter before letting the lead slip away.

""We took a whole bunch of shots that were ill advised,'' Williams said. "I felt it was a confidence thing. It's disappointing because I thought we were further along than that. But I'm very happy with our effort. We played hard. It was a great high school game."

That it was. From New Trier's 10-0 start, to Niles West's comeback and scoring binge in the third quarter, to the Trevians' rally in the fourth quarter, the game was well-played and hotly contested throughout.

"I was pleased with our young team, that, after giving up the lead, our guys persevered and got the ball where we wanted to get it in the fourth quarter,'' said New Trier coach Scott Fricke.

"I don't think we shot anything but layups in the fourth quarter, and that is what we wanted to do. We wanted to take advantage of our size edge."

New Trier raised its overall record to 3-3. The Trevians are playing without two key contributors, Austin Angel and Brian Kost, due to illness and injury.

In  New Trier's opening 10-0 run, Boehm displayed his obvious advantage over the shorter Wolves. Alek Biser, a Niles West forward playing center defensively against Boehm, got two quick fouls and Williams had to improvise.

Senior forward Patrick O'Connor ended up playing against Boehm for most of the rest of the game.

"I thought Patrick did a nice job,'' Williams said. "I think he got worn down a little bit and made some bad decisions about how to play him which is why he got on his little roll."

"It is almost a trap when you get up on these guys,'' Fricke said. "They go on spurts, they will score 10 points in 30 seconds. They will hit a three, make a steal and hit another three."

Which is actually what Niles West did. Two baskets surrounding a steal put them back into the game in the first quarter. Then Tony Pierce and Ramsan Younatham each hit a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter to push the Wolves to a 47-40 lead just before the end of the third quarter.

"Their pressure disrupted our game and they got up, but we did a good job playing hard to get back,'' Boehm said. "Honestly, I looked up and we were down seven and the next time I looked up we were up one. I thought our guards did a good job getting the ball up, and we did a good job defending at the end."

Niles West rallied from a 60-54 deficit late in the game on a pair of driving baskets by Donte Logan, but could not defend Bragiel on the final basket of the game.

"We did a lot of things that were contrary to what we were taught,'' Williams said. "But we will come back stronger and get ready for Maine South on Friday."