Prospect right on track

Prospect is looking to clean up this month.

The Knights know they'll be playing for the Mid-Suburban League boys basketball title Feb. 25. They wrapped up that berth last Friday and can claim the East title outright with a win over visiting Hersey at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

"Obviously our first goal of the season is to win the East and then hopefully win the MSL championship," said Prospect guard Jason Leblebijian after last week's 65-52 win at Buffalo Grove. "We've still got a long ways to go. So far we're right on track to where we want to be."

But the Knights would like to shore up one area that has plagued them much of this season. They're averaging 15 turnovers a game and committed 21 against BG.

"We have to be consistent," said Prospect junior guard Joe LaTulip. "We show glimpses of how great we can be. If we stay consistent it will be hard to beat us."

Prospect coach John Camardella made a similar point in the locker room at BG.

"I told them we have a month and we can get a lot better in a month," Camardella said. "Ball control is a point we've struggled with this year. We've got some very talented players who get a little excited when they play.

"If we can control the ball and make smart passes and smart decisions with the ball we can be very good."

The Knights also have a couple of good nonconference tests along with the MSL championship game.

On Tuesday, they go to Evanston, which is only 11-10 - but talented 6-foot-6 senior Nik Garcia just became eligible in late January after transferring from Niles West. The Wildkits ended last season for the Knights in the regional final.

And on Feb. 28 the Knights go to the United Center to face Glenbrook South, which is expected to get 6-9 Notre Dame-bound Jack Cooley back next weekend from a month layoff because of thumb surgery.

"We haven't made those strides to play our best against a good team like Glenbrook North," Prospect senior Kevin Reed said of a 74-57 loss Jan. 27.

Pirates' perfect timing: Palatine's glimpses of solid play have usually been undone by offensive droughts or costly lapses.

But last Friday night, everything fell into place as Palatine won just its third game, 58-46 at Schaumburg.

"It was cool," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone, who pointed out the Saxons were banged up physically. "Schaumburg is Schaumburg, and any time you can get them - the kids played awesome."

Nat Pearson scored 20 points and Matt Rossi added 10 points in a solid all-around game. The Pirates led by 22 points in the fourth quarter for their first MSL West win at Schaumburg since division realignment in 1998.

"We just played a really complete, all-around game," Millstone said. "All facets came together and it was kind of a perfect storm.

"We knocked shots down and that's something we haven't been doing. All year we've run some good things, but we just haven't shot the ball well."

Palatine also made its mark in a wild week in the MSL West race by dropping Schaumburg into a tie for third with Fremd at 4-3. Barrington knocked Hoffman Estates out of sole possession of first and into what is now a tie with Conant at 5-2.

Garoppolo gets on a roll: Rolling Meadows junior Jimmy Garoppolo is getting a lot of attention as one of the state's top college recruits at quarterback.

But Garoppolo is starting to make people pay more attention to him on the basketball court. He's had three straight double-figure scoring games going into tonight's game at Elk Grove.

"We really challenged Jimmy," Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said after Garoppolo scored 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting in a 61-49 win at Wheeling. "He brings such energy and intensity in practice but it doesn't always translate to games.

"I thought he really stepped up and did it offensively and defensively."

Garoppolo also scored 10 points against Prospect and 12 points Tuesday in a loss at Maine East.

"I felt like I had to step up," Garoppolo said after the Wheeling win. "I do it in practice, but if you don't do it in the game there's no point."

Sketch on "Etch": St. Viator's 6-3 Jack Etchingham was ready to energize the Cahill Gym crowd by punctuating a steal with a dunk in last Saturday's 53-40 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over visiting Nazareth.

Etchingham said he usually does it in practice, but this time he came up just a little short and missed.

"That was my biggest fear before the game and that's what happened," Etchingham said with a laugh. "At least I overcame my biggest fear."

The biggest thing for Viator is that Etchingham plays with no fear when he comes off the bench. He had 9 points and 13 rebounds and helped slow down Nazareth's 6-4 Ryan Powers in the fourth quarter.

"Energy and defense," Etchingham said of his biggest assets to the Lions.

"He's been doing that throughout most of the year," said Viator coach Joe Majkowski. "(Powers) is a heck of a player and 'Etch' did a really nice job on him in the second half."

Tough loss: Elk Grove hopes to get senior scoring leader Matt Martinski (14.2 ppg) back before the season ends from a partially torn ACL in his knee.

Martinski missed his second game in Tuesday's 59-50 loss to Bartlett.

"(Scott) Siwicki, Donny (Duschinsky) and J.J. (Lastovich) are accepting the challenge and the guys playing are stepping up and filling roles," said Elk Grove coach Anthony Furman. "We'll see if he comes back."

Siwicki, a 6-6 junior, scored 12 points against Hersey and had 5 blocks and 6 rebounds against Bartlett. Lastovich scored a season-high 17 points, and Duschinsky added 13 Tuesday.

"Matt just has a natural feel and confidence around him," Furman said. "The challenge is to find that confidence and I think we will."

A powerful balance: Hersey has responded to a six-game losing streak with 3 consecutive wins going into tonight's trip to Prospect.

The most any individual has scored in the winning streak was 15 by Kyle Miklasz against Buffalo Grove. Kyle and Connor Miklasz have hit double figures twice, Demitriy Velikov scored 12 against Elk Grove and Brian Fabrizius had 10 points against Deerfield on Saturday.

"Our success the last couple of times, it's been real spaced out like that," said Hersey coach Steve Messer. "We hope that's something to build on."

Free throws: The 14th annual City-Suburban Showdown is Feb. 14 at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. Warren and Glenbrook North play at 6:15 p.m., followed by DeLaSalle and North Lawndale - Roy Condotti, who led Homewood-Flossmoor to second in the state in 2004 and Westinghouse to third in 1992, is now assisting John Bonk at Nazareth - Alex Regalado has five straight 20-point games for Leyden, which hosts Willowbrook tonight and visits Fremd at 6 p.m. Saturday - Class 3A and 4A seeds will be out Thursday, followed by pairings Friday. There are no seeding meetings as the IHSA has implemented online voting.