Andrew Kirkpatrick knows it’s a luxury to have 6-foot-9 junior Ciaran Brayboy and 6-8 junior Spencer Boehm as teammates on the New Trier boys basketball team.
Kirkpatrick, a senior point guard, can shoot a potential game-winning 3-pointer knowing that a miss is as an opportunity for Brayboy or Boehm to get a putback basket.
On Tuesday, with the Trevians and undefeated Niles North tied in the waning seconds, Kirkpatrick made sure there was still some time on the clock when he hoisted a dramatic, late shot from behind the arc.
He missed the shot, but Brayboy caught the rebound one-handed and, in one motion, threw the ball back into the hoop with just .8 seconds on the clock. The Vikings missed a desperation final heave, and New Trier celebrated its 60-58 Central Suburban South victory in Winnetka.
Brayboy finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks to help New Trier (10-2, 4-0) take sole possession of first place in the conference.
“I wanted to get a shot with a couple seconds left because I know that obviously we have two big guys who crash the glass hard,” said Kirkpatrick, a Winnetka resident who finished with 11 points. “I just wanted to get a shot up early and if I make it, I make it. But if I didn’t make it, then my teammates would be around the basket to finish it.”
Trevians coach Scott Fricke said he was happy to see the clutch-shooting Kirkpatrick take the late shot. The 6-2 guard had a big 3-pointer with 3 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Plus, in last season’s playoffs, Kirkpatrick hit a buzzer-beating jump shot to give the Trevians a 50-48 win over Zion-Benton in the Class 4A regional semifinals.
That game-winner was a highlight for Kirkpatrick during a junior campaign in which he started and showed plenty of potential, but also struggled to find consistency while adjusting to the point guard position. Prior to that, he had been more of an off-guard.
This winter, Kirkpatrick looks even more comfortable running the show and handling swarming defenses, which he’s seen a lot of lately from the likes of Niles North, Hillcrest and Proviso East, the latter two in narrow defeats at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
Kirkpatrick admitted he had a few too many turnovers against Niles North (13-1, 3-1). But Fricke said Kirkpatrick stayed focused and continued to make plays, like he has done all season.
“He’s having a really good year right now,” Fricke said. “With the pressure we’ve faced, it’s not easy. He’s got a lot on his shoulders. You’re going to have turnovers when you’re the point guard against Niles North, but if you don’t let it get to you and let one play lead to another, you’ll be fine.
“We never took him out of the game (against Niles North) because of a turnover, and he responded and played big in the fourth quarter.”
Fricke called Kirkpatrick a fine leader and said his growth as a player accelerated over the summer, when Kirkpatrick did everything the coaching staff asked him to do, including getting in the weight room.
“Yeah, I always avoided the weight room,” said Kirkpatrick, whose father Kip played at Northwestern in the early 1990s. “But last summer, I was playing against guys who were stronger than me, and I saw how big an advantage it is to be stronger than other people. I took it seriously and actually hit the weight room in the summer, and I think it’s helped so far.”
Playing for the AAU team Meanstreets, Andrew Kirkpatrick said he also spent the summer working on “point guard stuff” like driving and kicking and bringing the ball up the court.
The hard work has yielded results.
“He’s really evolved from last year,” said Brayboy, who lives in Glencoe. “I know (Kirkpatrick) has been working so hard on his game. All the time I always see him in the gym. He’s just a great leader, he really brings it down the floor and sets the tempo. We have so much confidence in him, and he’s really clutch in end-of-game situations.”
On Tuesday, Kirkpatrick had what proved to be a clutch miss.
Notes
*New Trier got a strong contribution from its bench. Junior guard Sam Silverstein scored five points and grabbed eight rebounds. Plus, senior guard Matt Samuelson (three points) and junior guard Noah Osher (two points) hit clutch shots in a game that was back-and-forth, and tense throughout.
*Among the other starters, senior guard/forward Griffin Ryan had 12 points, senior guard Brian Conaghan had six points and Boehm had two points and three rebounds.
*The Trevians, normally a good free-throw shooting team, struggled from the foul line, missing six straight free throws in the final 1:24.
*Senior guard Dravon Clayborn led Niles North in scoring with 24 points. Senior guard Damaria Franklin added 20, including two long 3-pointers in the game’s final minute. The second of those 3-pointers tied the game 58-58 with 12 seconds remaining.
*New Trier plays host to rival Evanston at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Vikings also return to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they play host to Maine South.
This story has been updated to reflect the following corrections:
The article misstated the number of points Andrew Kirkpatrick and Griffin Ryan scored. Kirkpatrick finished with 11 points, not nine. Ryan recorded 12 points, not eight.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
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