LaTulip, Prospect calmly win in OT at St. Patrick

With the game on the line with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, Prospect guard Joe LaTulip calmly stepped to the foul line.

Trailing highly ranked tournament host St.Patrick 49-48 in Chicago, LaTulip (24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) sank both shots. Prospect then survived Jacob Williams' last-second 3-point shot, which banked off the backboard and bounced off the rim.

"I was confident at the line," said LaTulip, who was named the Max Kurland Tournament MVP. " It was an awesome feeling winning this game. Even when we were 12 points down (at 27-15) in the second quarter, we never felt like we were out of it."

What changed was Knights coach John Camardella's decision to go to a trapping defense.

"I thought when we went to the trap, it took them out of their rhythm," said Camardella who also used a 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone.

The Shamrocks (2-1) opened up the lead due to Williams' strong play in the first half when he scored 15 of his team-high 20 points.

"Once we had the lead," said Shamrocks coach Mike Bailey, "we got sloppy and they turned up their intensity."

Prospect (3-0) went on a 9-0 run over the last 2:08 of the half to pull within 27-24.

The Shamrocks led 43-38 with 5:48 left but Mike LaTulip hit a 3-point basket from the corner to tie the game at 45-45 with 1:45 left in regulation.

Joe LaTulip's 3-point try as time expired hit off the backboard and rim.

WIlliams and Julian Reed both scored to gave St.Patrick a 49-45 lead with 2:09 left in the overtime.

Latulip connected on a 3-pointer to narrow the lead to 49-48 with 1:41 left.

The Shamrocks missed a free throw, with Prospect's Nsenzi Salasini rebounding it with 35 seconds left.

Joe LaTulip, while driving the lane, was fouled and made the 2 winning free throws.

"It was a team effort overall," said LaTulip, who hit 5 of 8 3-point attempts. "We were undersized but we were able to defend them. Jack (Redding) did a great job clogging up the middle."

Redding also contributed on the end with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

"We had to play them strong on defense," said Redding. "We're going to be tough to beat if we play our game."

Prospect shot 17 of 41 from the field while. The Shamrocks shot 5-for-20 from 3-point range.

Korney Darby added 14 points for St.Patrick.

"I wanted to set up our pre-conference schedule with different teams. Playing St.Pat's in their gym with their tradition was big for us," said Camardella. "I wanted to expose the players to the different levels of play outside of the conference."