CALUMET CITY, Ill. (January 17, 2024) – In a basketball season that’s had some ups and downs for TF North’s boys, one player who’s been steady as a rock is veteran power forward Naiem Evans.
“Naiem has been the one consistent player that we’ve had,” coach Tim Bankston said. “He gives us everything. He’s the true definition of a TF North senior.”
Evans is a talented athlete who was North’s starting varsity quarterback as a freshman before giving up football to concentrate on basketball. Bankston hopes he gets a chance to play in college.
“He’s a really, really good athlete but he’s even a better person,” Bankston said. “And he comes in every day and works his butt off.”
Bankston is demanding of his players, which Evans has no problems with.
“It shows how much he loves us and how much he wants us to get to the next level,” Evans said.
As such, he’s a sponge for the basketball knowledge his coach is trying to impart.
His role? “Somebody that works hard and just listens to what (Bankston) says. … (I) take everything he says in and hustle every play,” Evans said.
North (8-5) won twice in its own Bob Hambric Fighting Against Cancer Showcase over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The Meteors pulled away to beat King 60-32 on Saturday before edging Phillips 70-69 on Sunday.
Junior forward Jaylen Blakes and Evans both had big weekends. Blakes had 17 points against King and 25 points and seven rebounds vs. Phillips. Evans contributed 14 points and nine rebounds on Saturday before getting 15 points and nine rebounds on Sunday. Also contributing in Sunday’s win were senior forward Leon Cooks with 11 points, five assists and five rebounds, and junior guard Nasir English with 11 points, four steals and, four assists.
Evans believes the Meteors still have room to improve.
“We need to do better at capitalizing on things like traps, working hard at boxing out and not turning over the ball,” he said, “There’s a lot to work on, so it’s only up from here.”
But it helps to have a pair of capable big men in Evans and Blakes.
“Jaylen Blakes is great,” Evans said. “He can score any type of way, he can shoot from the 3-(point line), he can take the ball into the post.”
Girls basketball
The Meteors lost 43-27 to the hosts on Monday at the Fenwick MLK showcase.
Junior guard Gabrielle McClain scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds for North (12-10).
North beat Tinley Park 48-33 on January 11 as McClain led the way with 27 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Lauryn Jackson had 14 points and five rebounds.
The Meteors’ 12 wins are their most since 2012.
Boys bowling
Two Meteors qualified for this Saturday’s Sandburg Sectional at Palos Lanes thanks to their efforts at last Saturday’s Oak Lawn Regional.
Junior Caden McLucas had a six-game pinfall of 1,160 (193.3 average) and senior Fernando Rios rolled an 1,143 (190.5 average).
North finished last in the 14-team field at 4,000.
Girls bowling
The Meteors lost 1,287-1,110 to Reavis on January 11 and 1,948-1,183 to Richards on January 9.
TF South
Boys basketball
The Red Wolves dropped a pair at Sterling’s Martin Luther King Jr. showcase on Monday, falling 74-58 to the hosts and 58-57 to Rock Falls.
Amari Dukes led South (7-11) against Rock Falls with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Earmsmuth had 11 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, while Sam Townsend contributed four points, four assists, and five steals.
Rashad Peeples paced the Red Wolves against Sterling with 16 points and Dukes scored 10.
South beat Oak Forest 52-40 on January 11 as three scorers hit double figures: Dukes (15 points, 6 rebounds), Earmsmuth (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) and Alex Lesure (10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists).
Girls bowling
The Red Wolves moved to 10-0 with a 1,502-1,426 victory over Argo on January 11.
Khia Wilson (314) and Trinity Kimmons (306) had the high series, while Teniola Odutsin had the high game of 182.
Boys bowling
The Red Wolves’ season ended at Monday’s Kankakee Regional, where they finished 11th among 15 teams with a six-game pinfall of 5,150.
Marian Catholic
Boys basketball
Rich used a 30-13 advantage in the fourth quarter to rally for a 74-70 win over the Spartans on Monday at the Homewood-Flossmoor MLK showcase.
Zack Sharkey led Marian (11-7) with 30 points, Jonah Weathers had 26, and James Bullock Jr. added eight.
Girls basketball
Madison Davis scored 24 points to lead Marian (18-6, 3-2) past visiting St. Francis 48-41 on Saturday. LaParis Poe added seven points for the Spartans.
Nazareth hit 10 3-pointers en route to a 50-24 East Suburban Catholic win over visiting Marian on January 11. Davis scored nine points and Alainna Poisson added seven for the Spartans.
Boys bowling
The Spartans’ season came to an end with a 13th-place finish among 15 teams at Monday’s Kankakee Regional, where they had a 4,394 total for six games.
Illiana Christian
Boys wrestling
Carson Ulrich won the 150-pound title and improved to 17-1 to highlight the Vikings’ showing in Saturday’s Greater South Shore Conference Tournament at Hebron.
Finishing second for Illiana were Noah Yannuzzi (13-7) at 132 and Gage Bambic (22-5) at 165.
The Vikings finished seventh among 10 teams with 134 points.
Girls wrestling
Illiana’s Gabriella Costello (105 pounds) and Amy Bosman (125) were eliminated after losing their first matches in the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state tournament last Friday in Kokomo.
Related
- Marian Boys Basketball feels the pressure of success – other local scores (January 11, 2024)
- Athlete spotlights of the week: TF South’s Karter Thomas, and North’s Gabrielle McClain (January 11, 2024)
