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Gardner hits game-winner for Prospect

As he spent a lot of time on the bench due to foul trouble, junior guard Antonio Gardner watched his Prospect boys basketball team trail Rolling Meadows for nearly 29 minutes.

In the final seconds, everyone was watching the 5-foot-8 Gardner.

He took an outlet pass from David Swedura and sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key for the final margin in the Knights' dramatic 30-29 triumph over visiting Rolling Meadows (0-7, 0-2) at the Jean Walker Field House on Thursday night.

"It was a beautiful pass from David," said Gardner, who is now 5-of-11 from 3-point range for the season.

"Antonio picked up his Gardner picked up his fourth foul at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

"We made eye contact (midway through the final period) and he said, 'Yes, I am ready for the next time I go out there.' " said Prospect coach John Camardella. "I didn't know what the results would be but he is an extremely driven and focused young man."

Gardner's game-winner put the Knights back above .500 for the first time since they were 1-0. They improved to 4-3 and 2-0 in the Mid-Suburban East.

"At Hoffman Estates I missed a shot at the buzzer," said Gardner, who is averaging 6.8 points per game. "I could not have done this without the support of my coaches and teammates. They all had faith in me.

"When they put me back out there, I was thinking a big play has to happen. All the coaching staff was telling me they believe in me and that I was going to make it happen."

Frankie Mack had 8 points to lead Prospect while Gardner finished with 7.

Meadows led 15-9 at the half but Prospect outscored the Mustangs 11-7 in both the third and fourth quarters.

Rolling Meadows junior forward Jared Murphy led all scorers with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field.

"I could not be more proud of my kids," said Mustangs coach Kevin Katovich. "They faced a lot of adversity and executed the game plan to perfection. You've got to tip your cap to Prospect. They made the big play at the end of the game to win. I thought it was a well-played basketball game by both teams."

Key for the Knights was a 31-19 rebounding edge.

Matt Szuba led the effort with 14, including 5 offensive boards. Swedura came up with a team-best 3 assists, including the big one in the final seconds.

Adam Wojcik and Ryan Laboda each finished with 6 points for Meadows.

"Our schedule has been extremely difficult," Katovich added. "If we keep plugging away, good things are going to happen."

Prospect struggled from the floor in the first half, (3-of-9 for 16 percent) and ended up 28 percent for the game.

It was quite a contrast to the Knights' recent win over Barrington (5-2) when they shot 59 percent in the first half and 55 percent for the game.

"This was our fourth tough game in six days," Camardella. "We had a tall order. Meadows was prepared and really had us scouted well. They really imposed their will right from the opening tip-off. They played extremely hard and disciplined."

And Gardner showed his discipline from long range as clock wound down.

"He was absolutely a lift for our team," Camardella said. "He is really an emotional leader."

Elk Grove 49, Buffalo Grove 46: Elk Grove improved to 2-0 in the Mid-Suburban League East with a homecourt victory that raised its overall record to 5-3. The Bison slipped to 3-3 and 1-1.

Schaumburg Christian 65, Cornerstone Christian 32: Mitch Winters scored 15 points and Joey Alsum contributed to 12 in the Conquerors' victory.

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