Prospect corrals Carmel

A neutral court matinee at Wheeling High School gave the Prospect boys basketball team little to get excited about. But once the Knights found their groove, there was no stopping them.

With the help of 6 3-pointers and 10-for-13 free-throw shooting, Prospect (9-1) earned a 74-54 victory over Carmel in the first round of the 31st annual Hardwood Classic on Monday afternoon, earning them a spot in the quarterfinals against Loyola Academy on Tuesday.

The Corsairs (5-7) kept the Knights honest in the first quarter by forcing 7 turnovers, but failed to capitalize and get out to a lead. The Knights were able to take a 1-point lead and some fresh motivation into the second quarter.

"We had no energy," Prospect coach John Camardella said. "An empty gym at noon is not the most inspiring game, and that's something I think everyone deals with. Coming off conference games that are packed, you deal with those intangibles."

Prospect adjusted quickly, scoring 8 points on 8 turnovers in the second quarter and properly balancing its game under the basket and beyond the perimeter. The Knights sunk five 3-pointers in the first half to distance themselves from the Corsairs and get a stranglehold on the contest.

Senior forward Kevin Reed led the Knights with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Jason Leblebijian (16 points) and Joe LaTulip (15 points) were major contributors as well.

"One good thing about our team is everyone can score," Reed said. "We didn't get a good start and we were playing to their tempo, but once we got going we were fine."

Carmel junior Patrick Cox led the Corsairs by shooting 13-of-18 from the floor and scoring a game-high 28 points.