McCoy's last-second free throw lifts 7-0 Schaumburg past Prospect
After Schaumburg junior guard Javonte McCoy missed the first of his two foul shots with the score with visiting Prospect even at 29, he looked over toward coach Jason Tucker who gave him a reassuring sign that things were OK.
"Then I smiled (and) I shot the second one. I made it and it was game (plus) a great team win," McCoy said of the Mid-Suburban League crossover.
McCoy's third point of the evening which came with .4 seconds remaining in regulation allowed Schaumburg to get past Prospect 30-29 moving their record to 7-0 on the season.
It had come after the Knights' preceding attempt to try and procure a game-winning shot went for not on an errant inbounds pass which went from end line to end line without touching the court of play.
That took place after Schaumburg junior forward Zion Young's jumper tied their home contest at 29 with 4.2 ticks left.
It had been a contest where both squads struggled from the floor. The host school went 12-38 (31%) while the visitors went 13-28 (46%) including a third stanza of play in which both teams went a combined 3 of 17.
McCoy, who scored Schaumburg's first points of the game on a feed from senior guard Michael Tancredi at the halfway point of the first quarter, credited the team's successful defensive approach versus the Knights (5-2).
"Our motto is defense, defense, defense. If the offense is not going (well) we have to pick it up on defense. As you (saw) our offense struggled, but our defense kept us in it."
One of those moments came in the final three minutes of the fist half when a 7-0 run by the visitors keyed by three of 6-3 senior swingman Aiden Walter's game-high 9 points put them ahead 18-12 with 2:00 left.
That's when the Saxons responded by going on 9-0 tear over the rest of the half that carried into the first 90 ticks of the third putting them up 21-18. That set the stage for a finish that had four lead changes.
"We missed a lot of shots that we normally would make and that's a credit to Prospect," Tucker said. "That's one (heck) of a program. They're a great team. It's a great win for our program - 7-0 is a nice sounding thing (to) us."
Tucker also recognizes the challenge his team faces as it travels to Fremd to resume MSL West play on Friday before facing South Elgin in the Storm's all-day Saturday shootout.
"Right now this is the hardest week so far of our season," Tucker said. "We're playing three good quality opponents that are going to be continuing for regional titles in my opinion. This will really prove who we are."
Schaumburg's Zion Young finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Former Prospect boys hoops mentor John Camardella, who returns to the Knights bench this winter after having taken the last two seasons off as an assistant to his successor Brad Rathe, filled in for him as Rathe could not make the trip due to illness.
Camardella, who went 229-142 at Prospect earning 10 MSL East, 3 MSL Conference, and a pair of regional titles, went on a one-year sabbatical to earn a Master's Degree from Harvard University's Divinity School last year before returning to Prospect in August of 2022 to resume his teaching career in the study of world religions.