Shannon, New Trier too much for Rolling Meadows
New Trier's Noah Shannon rained on Rolling Meadows' parade Wednesday at the Class 4A sectional semifinal at the Titan Dome at Glenbrook South in Glenview.
Shannon knocked down all 10 of his field goal attempts, including four from outside the arc. He finished with 26 points as the Trevians flooded Rolling Meadows 72-40.
"We kind of ran into a buzz saw there," Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said. "They are a great team. They were determined, they were motivated and they were making their shots. They took it to us."
No. 2 seed New Trier will meet top-seeded Glenbrook South in the sectional title game Friday at 7 p.m. Those two teams split their two previous meetings this season.
After Rolling Meadows (28-6) and New Trier met in late in January with New Trier winning that game 60-56, the expectation was for another tight game. Shannon changed all that early.
"I want to thank my teammates because they had a ton of faith in me," Shannon said. "I have been struggling recently but they had all the confidence in me."
It was close early until Shannon began his thunderstorm. He finished with 24 points in the first half.
And that shooting spread to the New Trier team, which shot 65% (17-of-26) in the first half as the Trevians built a 40-23 advantage.
The Trevians added on in the second half. New Trier shot 58% for the game (28-of-48) and knocked down 11 3-pointers. Both teams cleared their respective benches, getting all of their players into the game.
Josh Kirkpatrick had 13 points for New Trier while Jackson Munro had 11.
"We shot great," New Trier coach Scott Fricke said. "Even though we shot the ball real well, I thought the key to our game was our defense. We were so solid. We did a great job on the boards and we were so unselfish."
Cameron Christie led Rolling Meadows with 9 points. Orlando Thomas had 8 points, while Mark Nikolich-Wilson and Tsvet Sotirov each had 6 points.
It was a tough end for Rolling Meadows' five seniors. They helped lead the Mustangs to their first regional title since 1990, a pair of Mid-Suburban League East titles, an MSL title and an impressive 43-6 record during that span.
"I am super proud of our five seniors," Katovich said. "They led us with class. Last year with the pandemic they were kind of robbed of a postseason experience. They were so appreciative to be here and to be in some big games this year."
Thomas, who was the only senior who started for the Mustangs, said he relished his time playing for Meadows. He ended his high school career by converting a 3-pointer on his final shot.
"It was good, but not what we wanted," Thomas said. "I m really grateful for everyone on our team. We left a legacy here. It was just one game but we accomplished a lot and I am happy the way I left it. "
Katovich, who returns four starters and five players who saw significant time this year including Christie, said that next season could also be special for the Mustangs.
"We have a lot coming back," Katovich said. "Hopefully these guys saw this tonight and that leads them into the offseason motivated and ready to go."