In bounce-back mode, Prospect handles Rolling Meadows
Prospect is back.
The Knights' boys basketball team, which let a 17-point lead slip away in a loss to Buffalo Grove last weekend, won for the second straight time Friday night in a more-than-convincing 68-43 victory over visiting Rolling Meadows that left both teams a game back of Elk Grove in the MSL East at 4-3.
The hosts relied on what has been their season-long, uncanny 3-point shooting, coupled with sticky defense that challenged every pass and shot and a rebounding effort that gave them control of the boards, especially as they pulled away in the second half.
The key to it all? Pretty simple, actually.
"Working hard, staying together," said Prospect senior point guard Kyle Beyak, who paced the Knights (9-8, 4-3) with 18 points, kept their offense balanced by distributing the ball and played the kind of in-your-face defense that enabled Prospect to force convert on Meadows' turnovers almost every time it forced one.
The Knights opened the second half at Jean Walker Field House with a 14-2 burst that pretty much sealed it. Sophomore swingman Frankie Mack (15 points) busted the 2-3 zone with which Meadows opened the second by hitting a long 3. Grant Miller added another. And the 3-point scoring continued on Beyak's drive and athletic bucket for a traditional 3-point play.
Forward Kyle Formanski (10) scored on a nice feed from Miller, sophomore center Matt Szuba had a putback, Beyak scored on a backdoor cut feed from Formanski, Mack scored again on a feed from Szuba and by the time Beyak hit a 3 in transition, Prospect had nearly doubled up on the Mustangs at 51-26. It had been 28-22 at the half.
All the while, the Knights were outrebounding the Mustangs 12-3 in the third quarter and 21-6 in the second half.
While Beyak was happy for the whole team, he gave a shout-out to the two sophomores.
"Szuba was our spark tonight," Beyak said. "And Frankie Mack, he's hitting shots."
"Szuba put in the work. He earned it," coach John Camaradella said of the sophomore getting a start.
"Prospect played well. I have to get us ready to play. They took us out of what we wanted to do on both ends," said Meadows coach Kevin Katovich. "Give a lot of credit to Prospect."
Rolling Meadows' Matt Wojcik (14 points) and Jared Murphy (10) work hard for their team-leading point totals.
Camardella liked the offensive flow and ball distribution - and the fact that nine of his players scored.
"I was looking at our production. Only three guys in double figures," in a 25-point win, he noted.
Beyak agreed and pointed to another big positive in Prospect's favor: "Just the energy overall," he said.