Fremd pushes Prospect into OT before falling
You'd have a hard time convincing Prospect coach John Camardella that Mid-Suburban League crossover rival Fremd is winless.
Especially after Fremd (0-5) erased a 39-28 deficit with less than three minutes left in the game and forced overtime on Joe Depaolis' clutch 3-pointer with half a minute left. The Vikings even had a chance to win in regulation, but Kevin Reed (6 points) blocked Alex Weis' (8 points) running scoop at the buzzer to preserve the tie score.
From there, it was all Prospect (5-1). Nsenzi Salasini had 3 free throws and a tip-in, Reed, contained much of the game, had 2 free throws and a reverse layin, and point guard Joe LaTulip added a free throw while the defense did the rest in a 51-42 win at Jean Walker Field House in Mount Prospect.
"Credit (Fremd)," said Camardella after the Vikings' remarkable comeback paced by Depaolis, tough-as-nails point guard Dan Bruno (10 points) and center Will Reising (12 points before fouling out in overtime).
"We were just really out of sync," against Fremd's switching, scrambling defense, LaTulip admitted. But the sound point guard recognized his teammates' contributions.
"(Bobby) Reibel was unbelievable, a couple of great plays," he acknowledged, and Reed came alive in OT when the Knights needed him most. But 5-1 is still 5-1, despite some of the evening's difficulties.
"It does feel good," said LaTulip. Now, to avoid cardiac finishes like Saturday night's, "We've just got to work out the kinks."
But while crediting Fremd for causing some of those kinks, also check the Vikings' 16-of-44 shooting, 4-of-14 from beyond the arc, and just 19 rebounds to taller Prospect's 32. Much of that was because of the Knights' stingy defense, paced by 4 blocked shots and some important energy off the bench from Austin Sobey (5 points) and backup point guard Reibel (6 points).
The 5-foot-10 senior's 2 clutch 3-pointers in the third quarter and two defensive stops helped Prospect build its lead after Jason Leblebijian (11 points) pumped home three hoops to help establish the lead.
"I was so happy for (Reibel)," said Camardella. And except for that roughly 150-second breakdown at game's end, he's pretty happy to be 5-1 overall.
The Vikings are as eager to break into the win column after playing a brutal schedule full of ranked teams.
"We've got to keep playing like that," Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said of the intensity that fueled the improbable rally. "I think we showed great attitude coming back in the last three minutes.
"They competed. Coming down the stretch, that's what we've got to do, night in and night out."