A short bench didn’t keep Evergreen Park from going on a historic run this season.
The Mustangs, who had a nine-player roster, set a program record for wins, ended a long conference-title drought and saw George Shimko honored for his work.
“I am happy for them,” Shimko said. “We had a miraculous season. We did some really nice things.”
The season ended in the Class 3A regional finals as host Evergreen Park fell 61-44 to TF North on Feb. 19.
Tatum Harris had a team-high 24 points — including 10 in the final quarter — and seven rebounds for the Mustangs (26-7). Grace Kole added six points and seven rebounds.
“She worked really hard on her game,” Shimko said of Harris. “She is so coachable and now able to get her shot up a little bit quicker.”
The loss did sting. But Kole and Harris are proud of the team’s success, their growth and achievements, and the future of the program.
“Even though we couldn’t get where we wanted to be, we did accomplish a lot.” Kole said. “Me and Tatum hit some milestones, we got our first conference championship in 37 years and Coach (Shimko) was coach of the year.”
Kole was named as an Illinois State Scholar, earned all-conference and secured her 500th point and rebound this season. Harris, a fellow senior, also made all-conference and passed 1,000 points.
While all those moments were big, one more highlight stood out that they enjoyed and it involved their rival.
“Beating Oak Lawn for the first time in a while was great,” Harris said.
Next year, Harris will continue her career at North Park, while Kole plans to head to college and become a dentist.
While losing the senior duo is significant, the Mustangs will return several key players next season.
“I’m really excited for what they bring next year,” Kole said. “I feel like we don’t take away too much from this team and I really think they can possibly get the regional championship and another conference championship.”
All-conference selection and three-year varsity athlete Ella Throndson scored nine points and had four assists against the Meteors. She is hungry for more and wants to keep building the program.
“Last year and the year before we lost the regional, so I feel like wanting to break that streak also keeps me pushing,” Throndson said. “We’re pretty good, and we’re at a pretty high level with chemistry. But working to improve that is definitely a goal next year.”
But for now, Shimko wants his team to take a break while he reviews the season.
“I do want to take a look at what we did, good and bad, and try to figure out where we’re going from here,” he said.