Prospect excels in sharing the scoring wealth
With Prospect sporting a 17-5 record, one might wonder who is the one person the Knights girls basketball team can always count on to carry the scoring load in a particular game.
Well, opponents can keep wondering this season because the Knights are one of the most balanced offensive teams in the state. No one averages more than 7.8 points a game.
When sophomore Marissa Pettenuzzo scored 10 points in a 49-30 victory over Rolling Meadows on Friday, she became the seventh Knight to own or share scoring honors this season.
"It's favorable because you can't just key on one person," said Knights coach Martha Kelly. "If you try to, someone else will come up big for us. We've probably got some kids who don't start who could start for any other team."
The other girls who have led the Knights in scoring are junior Rachel Hunt (7.0 ppg) , sophomore Sarah Hunt (4.9), senior Alyssa Glennon (7.2), junior Lexi Glennon (7.5), senior Danielle Brucci (7.8) and sophomore Sarah Winans (6.3).
And even junior Alyssa Baker was only 1 point from being a leading scorer in a game.
"The girls are playing so well as a team," Kelly said. "None of them is selfish enough to step up and carry the load. They really rely on each other. They all see the floor so well that when someone is open, they get them the ball.
"I like to call it an equal-opportunity offense. We don't run play after play for just one person."
Three-sport front line: In somewhat of a rarity these days where high school athletes are becoming more specialized in their sports, Hersey coach Mary Fendley has a front-line rotation of three girls who play three sports.
Senior Kristen Gierman, (5-feet-11) who recorded a double last week against Buffalo Grove, is one of Hersey's top girls golfers and a four-year starter in soccer who set the school assists record last spring).
Junior Maddie Swan (6-feet) plays soccer and is an all-area middle hitter for the always successful girls volleyball team.
Junior Kathryn Korff (6-feet) plays soccer and swims. She was the runner-up in the Mid-Suburban League 50-yard freestyle race and fifth in the 100 free.
"It is kind of rare, for sure," said Fendley, a former three-sport standout at Rolling Meadows in softball, basketball and swimming. "They're just real well-rounded girls. It's a benefit to do multiple sports. I love when kids play more than one sport."
Junior Annie Perkins (tennis and soccer) and Domenica Giancola (cross country and track) are also three-sport athletes on the Huskies' roster. Perkins was a varsity three-sport athlete as a sophomore, too.
Tough tests: Saturday's final round of the Sweet Sixteen was originally designed to prepare teams for the state finals when the final four teams had to play two games in one day.
Although that is no longer the case under the four-class system that is now employed by the IHSA, Barrington's girls basketball team may feel like it's in the state finals this Saturday.
The Fillies (15-7) will take on two state powerhouses from the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
They play Fenwick (18-4) at 11:30 a.m. and Marian Catholic (20-3) at 4 p.m. Both games are at Buffalo Grove High School.
"Everyone gets into the Sweet Sixteen because they want to play quality teams," said Fillies coach Babbi Barreiro.
"These kind of games only make you better."