January 23, 2012 | 02:19 AM
On paper, it looked like New Trier boys Basketball would stroll into Niles West and roll the Wolves in another one of the walkovers the Trevians have recently been putting on teams.
After all, the Trevs came into the game winning 10 of their last 11 while Niles West had lost nine games in a row and had yet to adjust to the return of Alek Biser and Nathan Sagett from injuries.
Trevs' coach Scott Fricke wouldn't hear any of it, however.
"Niles West is a good team," Fricke said. "They play one of the toughest schedules in the state of Illinois. If you look at the teams these guys have played, they haven't played any cream puffs. In every game, they're working hard, they're well coached, so this was a game we prepared for."
The preparation resulted in a 67-43 rout for the Trevs, which moved their record to an impressive 16-2 and 6-0 in the CSL South.
While the score may indicate "easy," it wasn't that way throughout.
New Trier forward Steven Cook notched three blocks in the first quarter, but five Trevian turnovers kept the lead at a mere two points.
With the score tied early in the second quarter, Biser committed his second foul and was forced to the bench for the remainder of the half. New Trier ripped off a 21-4 run thanks to a ferocious defense and a wickedly effective transition offense.
"Our defense was tenacious tonight," Cook said. "I think our 1-3-1 worked great. Sometimes it works really well while other times it's not as successful. I just feel like we stepped up our man-to-man as well and our defense is really what fueled our offense."
Reid Berman (8 points, 6 assists) made a layup, then Connor Boehm scored a quick bucket and two free throws to start the third quarter. West called a timeout, but the damage was done.
The Trevs coasted through the quarter and the reserves got some well-deserved time on the court to finish the rout.
Boehm led all scorers with 18 points while Cook added 14 points and four blocks. Austin Angel had 12 and David Bragiel chipped in 10 and a team-high six boards.
Joe Younan led West with nine points. Biser and Alex Darville scored six each for the Wolves, who dropped to 2-13 and 0-6 in CSL South play.
It was a particularly wild week for New Trier. The Trevs dominated Buffalo Grove on Jan. 16 in a holiday matinee. Then had three days of short practices to keep the legs fresh while the players tried to survive finals week. Then, Friday's snowstorm forced an interesting day of travel.
In the end, it all added up for Fricke and his team.
"I'm just glad we got here," he said. "It's hard to tell either way before a game if we're ready to play or not, but they come and they are ready to play.
"I've never seen these guys tight. They get along with each other, and they just show their focus in a different way. They're in the locker room talking and relaxed before the game, but when it's time to talk, they give me full attention and they're ready to go."
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