Trevians Fall to Falcons for First Season Loss

After graduating four starters from last season, New Trier is feeling some of the growing pains that come with having a younger team.

The Trevians couldn't hold onto a double-digit lead and suffered their first loss of the season at the Thanksgiving Tournament Tuesday. During the second half of the game, the Harlan Falcons rebounded and hustled their way to a 65-64 victory.

"We forced them into bad shots all night and they just outrebounded us like crazy," New Trier Coach Scott Fricke said. "Second and third shots. Whatever the case was, they just kept getting shots inside."

But New Trier had looked strong coming out of the gates. They pounded the ball inside with junior center Connor Boehm, who scored 15 points in the first half. Junior guard Austin Angel's outside shots were falling and the Trevians were in control with a 37-29 lead at halftime.

Going into the second half, New Trier looked sluggish and often failed to box out, allowing Harlan numerous rebound opportunities.

"We just have to be tougher," said Boehm, who finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. "I have to be tougher, we all have to tougher on the boards as a team."

Harlan cut the Trevian lead to two points by the end of the third quarter, eventually pulling ahead when forward Shaquille Hines hit a three-pointer with roughly six minutes remaining.

"We just had to stick to our discipline. We stayed true to our guns because we're a pressure team," Harlan Coach Ervin Bryant said. "Our discipline and our defense are our keys."

Meanwhile a back-and-forth final quarter saw neither team pull away. Down four points with 16.7 seconds left, Trevian guard Jordan Williams hit a three from the corner. A quick foul put Harlan forward DaShawn Bush on the free throw line with 5.7 seconds left. The Trevians rebounded after Bush missed both shots, and Boehm called a timeout with 4.2 seconds.

Fricke drew up a play to get the ball to Boehm in the middle of the floor and pitch it out to the sideline. Fricke said New Trier's starters often practiced the play.

The inbounds pass, however, was too high for Boehm to handle, resulting in a scramble for the loose ball. Harlan came out with possession and the final buzzer sounded, handing New Trier to its first loss of the season.

"It's definitely the sign of a young team," said Fricke when asked about his team's inability to close out Harlan. "But I'm also proud of the guys. We were down five with a minute to go and come back with a chance to win. That pass is a foot too high from winning the game." 

Stay tuned for more coverage of New Trier's Thanksgiving Tournament. Check out previous coverage of the games on .