Sophomore forward Charity Bryant's ascent powering Evanston to resurgent season

Near the end of the first quarter of Evanston's 58-33 win over Hinsdale Central, sophomore forward Charity Bryant got going.

Already leading 10-7, Bryant calmly dribbled down the court and drilled a pull-up three. Then on the next possession, she found senior guard Havana Van Wyk streaking toward the rim. Those two plays show how sklled Bryant is.

"I think she's the best sophomore that no one talks about," coach Brittanny Johnson said. "I'm hoping that the recognition she's starting to get now will kind of get her a little bit more looks so people start to see that she's a player."

Bryant's breakout sophomore campaign continued after a stellar 21-point performance against Hinsdale Central. At 6-0, Bryant is a mismatch nightmare for opposing teams. She can see over the top of defenses and deliver accurate, on-time passes to cutting teammates. She's an adept finisher in the paint and sports an impressive shooting stroke.

Bryant's development is partly why Evanston finished the regular season with a 15-10 record. The Wildkits have close losses to Maine South, Libertyville, Waubonsie Valley and St. Ignatius on their résumé. They also split with a strong Maine South team. That tough schedule will benefit the Wildkits because of their formidable seeding in the IHSA playoffs. They're lumped in with Loyola, Maine South, Glenbrook South and DePaul College Prep as the top seeds above them.

But the Wildkits' season has been much better than last year's 12-20 campaign.

"Our goal was really just to be competitive," Johnson said. "We felt like last year we had too many running clock games, so we wanted to come here and end our regular season in a good way."

Evanston was dominant defensively on Thursday. They suffocated Hinsdale Central's offense, forcing them into untimely miscues and errant shots. Even when the Red Devils had a sliver of daylight, Evanston's length sped them up. Even with holding a 28-17 halftime lead, Johnson thought the team spent the first half adjusting to the Red Devils' extended zone defense. Once Evanston got used to where the traps were going to come from, the Wildkits were able to move the ball effectively and create easy shots all second half.

"This was a good game to prepare us for [IHSA] playoffs," Bryant said."

Junior guard Payton King, who made the Central Suburban League All-Conference team, is also an integral piece to the Wildkits' attack. She racked up two steals in the first quarter by correctly reading the defense and pouncing at the right time. She scored eight points on Thursday. She regularly guards the opposing team's best player while playing point guard for Evanston.

"[I] definitely put in a lot of work in the offseason, so to be rewarded for that meant a lot," King said. "But that's definitely not going to stop me from continuing to work hard."

King and Bryant — along with 6-2 forward Simone Hewitt, who is a deterrent in the paint and a reliable finisher— give the Wildkits a fearsome duo heading into the IHSA state playoffs. But Bryant's development raises the ceiling of what Evanston can do this season and next year. There aren't many agile forwards with her combination of scoring, passing and dribbling abilities.

"She's done a way better job in the second half of just utilizing her teammates ... she wants to win so bad," Johnson said. "She can be really dangerous when she shares with all her teammates, because she has great court vision and great IQ. She's just scratching the surface, like it's almost scary how good she could be."