Prospect pulls off stunner over Hersey
Week in, week out, it is getting increasingly harder to say who has the upper hand in Mid-Suburban East girls basketball?
Is it Wheeling, with its star-caliber lineup and rich heritage? Is it Elk Grove, with its boostered roster and rangy lineup? Is it Prospect, with its outstanding overall record, coaching intensity and never-say-die attitude? Or is it Hersey, unbeaten in conference despite of plethora of injuries?
Whoops, formerly unbeaten. Prospect tightened up the division standings with a stunning come-from-behind 36-34 win Friday night over the visiting Huskies at Jean Walker Field House.
In foul trouble and trailing most of the way, the Knights (15-4, 3-2) kept their division hopes alive as junior Sarah Winans (12 points) provided the game-clinching points with a coast-to-coast drive through traffic and a 35-34 lead with less than a minute to go.
In a game in which the final 1:30 featured three lead changes, 5 turnovers and 4 missed free throws, including the front end of two bonus situations, Prospect survived behind foul-troubled Winans' Indy 500-like drive. Karly Grouwinkel added a free throw with 0.6 seconds left.
"In practice, we try to do pressure situations," Winans said.
"And never give up," added 6-foot-2 junior center Sarah Hunt, who scored 4 points and blocked and/or altered as many shots.
Ashley Wabik added two clutch 3-pointers and everybody chipped in for a defensive effort that held the potent Huskies (14-5, 4-1) to just 10 second-half points.
"We were trying to do a better job of denying the post," Hunt said of the effort by herself and sister Rachel (8 points).
Prospect's defense had Hersey making "some bad decisions down the stretch," said head coach Mary Fendley, particularly in terms of low-percentage shot selection and forced passes.
With star junior Megan Rogowski (13 points) limited by foul trouble, her contributions were subsequently restricted after Prospect had spent much of the game playing a combination of defenses on her, from man-to-man to zone to box-and-one with Lexi Glennon primarily chasing her everywhere.
Maddie Swan (8 points) and, off the bench, Brittany Pittas (6) helped pick up the slack for a team missing two injured starters.
"Second half, on offense, we just made bad decisions," Fendley re-emphasized. "We definitely played hard. Maybe it was nerves in a close game," especially after some missed key free throws and turnovers.
Prospect was pumped up though after last week's thumping from Wheeling, looking to make amends and play better, especially against an archrival like Hersey.
"We were a lot more pumped up," Sarah Hunt. "We were a lot more excited for the game.
"When it mattered, we gave it more than 100 percent, one basket at a time," Sarah Hunt said of rallying from 33-25 behind early in the fourth quarter.