Girls Basketball: Evanston win over Maine South rings loud and clear

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Evanston junior Gabrielle Nottage dribbles down court guarded by Maine South junior Mackenzie Duffy during a varsity girls basketball game at Evanston Township High School on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:25AM

If a signature victory was something that the Evanston girls basketball team was looking to put on its résumé this season, the Wildkits might have found it Friday night against Central Suburban South leader Maine South.

While both teams scored in spurts in the first half, Evanston took control after the intermission and handed the Hawks only their second loss with a 46-36 victory in Evanston.

“We knew this was a statement game, we knew we executed well and played harder than ever,” said Evanston forward Sinclair Cunningham. “Shots were not falling and we were not communicating as a team, but we picked it up in the second half and the second quarter. We came out with a different attitude and were more motivated, because, as I said, we knew it was a statement game.”

The Wildkits fell behind early and scored only four points in the opening period, but rallied in the second quarter with a 10-0 run that gave them a 16-15 lead after a Cunningham three-pointer.

Evanston (3-4, 12-10) trailed 18-16 at the half, then took the lead for good midway through the third quarter when sophomore Seara Clayborn started to heat up.

The sophomore guard knocked down two three-pointers in the third stanza, and scored 12 of her team-high 14 points after the break. She helped seal the win in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, hitting 4-of-7 attempts from the charity stripe.

“Everybody was into it, we all had our heads into the game,” said Cunningham, who added a three-pointer in the fourth quarter and finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. “We knew that we could do it, we believed in each other and we won the game because we played team basketball.”

While the Wildkits limited Maine South to single digits over each of the final three quarters, they poured in 30 points and shot 61 percent from the field in the second half.

“We were trying to stop the three-point shooters and get a hand up on everything,” Cunningham said. “It feels great and now we are eating chicken and pizza tonight!”

Maine South (5-2, 20-3) made one final rally in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 39-35 with just under two minutes left. Evanston did not fold and closed the game out on a 7-1 run.

Junior center Alecia Cooley connected on 6-of-7 shot attempts and had six of her 12 tallies in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed six rebounds.

Sierra Clayborn knocked down a basket from long distance in the second quarter and finished with seven points.

“It is a big win against a great team that has had a lot of success,” said Evanston coach Elliot Whitefield. “So hopefully they start to believe a little bit more in themselves and keep working. I keep telling them they have an opportunity to have a special season and we have had some big wins, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”