Prospect gets meaningful win over Meadows

Friday night's boys basketball game between visiting Prospect and Rolling Meadows didn't mean anything in terms of the Mid-Suburban East standings.

But don't tell that to the either of these teams as the Knights scratched and clawed their way to a 70-60 victory.

Prospect (15-8, 7-3) led by as many as 14 early in the second quarter but Meadows (15-9, 8-2) recovered to make a game of it, pulling within a point in the fourth quarter to give fans the feel of a state tournament game rather than two teams just playing out the string until playoffs.

"We call it the 'Neighborhood Brawl' because we know all of those guys personally," said Prospect senior Jack Landwehr. "We had a sour taste in our mouth from last time (67-59 loss) so we came out firing."

Mike LaTulip scored 9 of his team-high 19 points in the first quarter as the Knights raced to a 27-13 lead. With guys like Landwehr (14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) and Brad Reibel (10 points) coming up with seemingly every loose ball, Prospect appeared to be in control.

But Meadows guard Brian Nelms (23 points, 8 assists) refused to be denied all night and willed his team back into the game. The senior scored or assisted on the Mustangs' first 11 points of the fourth quarter, eventually drawing them within 57-56 on 2 free throws with 4:03 to play.

"That was maybe the best game of his career," said Meadows coach Kevin Katovich. "What a gutsy performance. His will to compete is tremendous."

Prospect, however, shifted gears in the final quarter and slowed the game down as Meadows had several chances to tie the game in the fourth but couldn't convert.

After Tyler Gaedele (17 points) knocked in 2 free throws to make it 64-60 with 1:24 left, Reibel deftly converted with the left hand before Landwehr's steal and lead pass to Reibel for a layup put the exclamation point on a win sure to give the Knights plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs.

"This is what we needed, in a tough environment on the road," said Prospect coach John Camardella. "It's hard to win in places like this, especially against the East champions. And for the seniors, there was nothing they wanted more than to go out on a high note and beat Meadows."