It's on to the D-C semifinals for Prospect

Prospect's girl basketball team is back - in the final four.

For the first time in eight years, the Knights are in the semifinals of the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic.

Not since coach Mike Nocella guided the 2001 Knights to a fourth-place finish in the prestigious 16-team tourney has Prospect won its first two games at D-C.

Monday afternoon, with Jay Kyp-Johnson and Jim Hamann serving as co-coaches, Prospect posted a 51-39 victory over St. Charles North (9-5).

The Knights (12-2) will face defending tourney champion Fenwick (14-1) in today's 6:30 p.m. semifinal.

Head coach Martha Kelly is expected back today after missing Monday's game to attend funeral services for a family member in Iowa.

Kelly's team, consistently getting the ball inside for layups, was able to gradually pull away in the first quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from junior Sarah Winans and senior Lexi Glennon put the Knights ahead 22-11 with 6:50 left in the second quarter.

The North Stars (9-5) charged back and trailed 26-24 at half, thanks to a 3-pointer from junior Sydney Russell with 35 seconds left in the second quarter.

But Prospect remained patient and poised in its offense and never let the North Stars get the lead in the final half when senior Rachel Hunt (7 rebounds) scored all 8 of her points.

Glennon led Prospect with 13 points while junior Sarah Hunt (7 rebounds) added 12. Junior Marissa Pettenuzzo added 9 points with 11 rebounds.

"The kids did a great job responding to our halftime adjustments," said Hamann, also the girls golf coach at Prospect. "They listened well and executed the game plan offensively."

"The girls are really getting good at team defense and team basketball," Kyp-Johnson added. "They're not just one-dimensional. They're two- or three-dimensional. They executed the plays and made their free throws."

Prospect shot all its free throws in the fourth quarter, converting 5 of 8.

Winans handed out 6 assists.

"One of our goals was to make the semifinals," Winans said. "This is exciting. We had to be patient against their zone. That's what it was all about, being patient.

"And we knew their point guard (senior Kiley Hackbarth, 6 points) was really fast and creates a lot for them. A big part of our game was getting rebounds and going. That's where we get a lot of layups."

The North Stars were led by senior Dana Sibley (9 points), senior Jenna Bell (8 points, 11 rebounds) and Russell (8 points).

"Prospect is a great basketball team," said St. Charles coach Colleen Brennan. "They did a great job adjusting to our defense. They saw the openings in our defense like good teams will do. I congratulate them."

The North Stars face Fremd at 3:30 today.

"Now we'll try to go 3-1 in the tournament," Brennan said. "We play every game one at a time."