Prospect wins thriller on Reizer's buzzer-beater
Jessica Reizer picked up a special feeling on her long-range shots during warmups on Wednesday night.
The Prospect senior guard hit numerous shots during warmups to foreshadow a possible memorable night against Lake Forest.
"Coming into warmups, I was pretty on," Reizer said. "I wasn't very cold, and we had a lot shooting drills during practice and that helped me."
A day after celebrating Senior Night in a rout over Elk Grove, Reizer added another lifetime memory, canning a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Prospect to a 47-45 road victory over Lake Forest. In total, Reizer hit three 3s for 9 points to spark the Knights to an impressive road victory.
Andie Will paced the Knights (19-5) with 17 points and Emily Skoog had 10 points. Lake Forest (14-10) erased a big deficit with a 16-0 run in the second half only to watch in dismay when Reizer stole the spotlight with her buzzer-beater. Bella Ranallo scored a game-high 20 points and Rachel Kaus added 14 for the Scouts.
With the Knights trailing by a point with 1.5 seconds to play, Prospect coach Matt Weber designed a catch-and-shoot play for Reizer in anticipation that the Scouts would double-team Will.
After receiving the ball just a foot past the 3-pointer line, Reizer rose up - without taking a dribble - and swished the game-winner.
"I knew we had one second left, so I had to chuck up the shot," Reizer said. "It was crazy, just an adrenaline rush to see my teammates run after me. It's the best feeling.
"My coach told me to get my feet right. I knew what I had to do. I had to go screen, cut up and get my feet ready, then shoot and have my hands on the ball and just follow through. It felt good when I released it. It was a good shooting day for me."
Indeed, it was a good shooting day for Reizer, who buried her trey from the top-of-the-key. Will set up the winner by drilling a 3-pointer to pad the Knights' lead to 44-41 with 2:01 left, but the Scouts scored the next four points.
The Knights (19-5) have endured a difficult stretch but stand firmly one game shy of a 20-win season, the program's first since 2014-15.
"We knew Andie was having a big game and carrying us in that last stretch on offense," Weber said. "We have a lot of players on our team capable of hitting big-time shots. The right design was up for Jess, and she had all the confidence in the world. Her teammates did a nice job screening for her."
Playing back-to-back games, with the second half on the road, the Knights were up to the mental and physical challenge.
Will sparked the Knights in the first five minutes, staking them to an 8-3 lead before Skoog put her stamp on the game. The senior guard answered a Scouts' four-point surge by closing out the opening half with seven straight points. She drilled a wing 3-pointer to close out the run for a 28-18 lead.
"We knew this game was not going to be easy, and we would have to face adversity," Weber said. "We had some people carry us in the first half, like Emily Skoog. You have to credit Lake Forest for battling."
Lake Forest coach Stacey Leach praised her players for erasing an 11-point second-half deficit to seize a 41-38 lead early in the fourth.
"We knew what we needed to be done in the second half, to tighten up defensively and we ran our stuff offensively and Bella and Rachel found their opportunities," she said. "It was just a tough ending."