Prospect takes on city's best

So what does Prospect do for an encore after winning the Mid-Suburban League boys basketball title and a primer heading into the Class 4A state tournament?

Making a trip to Chicago to face Public League champion Brooks hardly qualifies as resting on the laurels of an MSL-record 10th title.

So at 1 p.m. today, in the gym once used by now-shuttered Mendel on Chicago's South Side, the Knights will test themselves against a Class 3A state-title contender.

When Bobby Locke left Evanston for Brooks, he e-mailed Prospect coach John Camardella about the possibility of setting up a nonconference series. Camardella agreed and next year they'll meet in Mount Prospect.

"I can't wait for that," Camardella said earlier this week about the regular-season finale. "At the time I had only heard of Brooks, but if you had asked me if they would be city champs -"

Camardella laughed about a surprise scenario considering defending 4A champion Simeon, Whitney Young and Morgan Park were regarded as the preseason Public League favorites. But he still would have jumped at the opportunity.

Brooks (22-3) was ranked fourth in this week's 3A state poll by The Associated Press. The Eagles feature a pair of all-state candidates in Wisconsin-bound guard George Marshall and point guard Mike Powell, a Division I prospect averaging better than 20 points a game.

"It should be a really good game and it's shaping up to be a big help to us since we open with Waukegan," Camardella said of Wednesday's regional semifinal at Mundelein. "In terms of speed, size and strength and some of the matchups we'll have, it's a good tuneup so we don't have to take an entire week off."

And if Prospect wins Wednesday, it would likely run into another prolific offense in Mundelein (26-4), the second-seed in the Barrington sectional.

But a big difference for the Knights from a year ago at this point is they are challenging opponents defensively instead of being defensively challenged.

"We really wanted to play tougher defense this year," said Prospect senior Terry Redding after the 56-44 MSL title win over Barrington. "We haven't been perfect, that's for sure, but we're getting closer and better."

Road benefit for Broncos: Playing before a big and raucous road crowd in the MSL title game could benefit Barrington next week.

The Broncos are at the Libertyville regional and would face the host Wildcats on Tuesday if they beat Palatine in Monday's quarterfinal.

"We were saying, what a great way to get ready for the state tournament," said Barrington coach Bryan Tucker.

"This was a great way to prepare for what we know is in store for us the rest of the season," said Barrington senior guard Tyler Weathered. "This was as tough as it's going to get atmosphere-wise."

The good news for the Broncos if they win twice and repeat as a regional champion they will be able to go home again since they are hosting the sectional.

Facing a team like Prospect playing at a high level its only loss in its last 10 games was in overtime to Rolling Meadows also provided the Broncos with some lessons. Even though they were held to their second-lowest point total of the season at 44 it was the points allowed that bothered them.

"I thought we had some good looks but we didn't shoot the ball that well, either," Tucker said after the Broncos shot 32 percent from the field and were 4-for-21 on 3-pointers. "You'll have nights like that. That's why we were disappointed about the defensive end."

Even though on the surface it didn't look so bad as Prospect finished 9 points below its MSL-leading 65-point average. Mike LaTulip, the league's No. 2 scorer at 19.7 a game, ended with 14, which was his lowest since he had 12 in the fifth game of the season against Palatine.

"Overall we really did a good job on LaTulip," Weathered said of the work done primarily by Brad Zaumseil and Greg Gerrard. "I think our help defense was a lot slower than it usually is and weren't playing as a team on both ends.

"We just weren't rotating well and we were leaving guys open a lot."

Knights in right direction: Prospect has notoriously struggled in recent years in its first couple of games after the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. This season was no exception with losses at Conant and Hersey to fall to 8-6.

But the Knights got everything going in the right direction to win nine of 10 games and their second MSL title in three years.

"We were coming out of a good Christmas (3-1) and that was probably our most honest moment of our season and in my short-term time here," said fourth-year Prospect coach John Camardella. "We really had to make some adjustments and it all dealt with things in our control.

"I joked that I don't know how we did this. We were not at a good place on Jan. 7 and the guys really turned the corner as well as any team I've coached."

That was evident Wednesday when Prospect missed numerous chances in close and led just 19-18 at halftime.

"The way we were going to win this game was we had to play together," Mike LaTulip said.

Prospect shot 10-for-19 in the second half and the only baskets without assists were off rebounds by Terry Redding and Brad Reibel and on a steal by LaTulip.

"Barrington was doing a great job on Mike and he had to work for everything he got," said Camardella, who gave his junior guard a huge hug in the on-court postgame celebration. "Mike gave the ball up off the dribble and that was great to see.

"Mike had as dominant of an effect on the game without scoring and we were all smiling. That dynamic makes a good player become great."

Mileposts: Hersey's Steve Messer became the 10th coach to win 200 career games at an MSL school or schools Tuesday against Fremd. Messer is 60-53 in four years at Hersey after going 140-123 in nine years at Elk Grove.

Buffalo Grove's Ryan O'Connor is closing in on the milestone at 182-121 in 11 seasons.

•If Barrington wins a regional title it would keep alive a streak of at least one MSL team with a 20-win season. The last time the league didn't produce a 20-game winner was 1986-87.

•When Elk Grove won its MSL East opener it kept alive a streak that dates to the program's first full season of play in 1967-68. It has never had a winless league finish in its history.

•The only other winless finish in division play for Hoffman Estates besides this year was in 1979.

The final word: "We're even. We're even now." Prospect's Terry Redding with a smile on matching the MSL title won by his brother Jack two years ago.