Prospect's outside game too much for Wheeling
As a standout post player for Prospect's girls basketball team in the 2000s, Knights first-year coach Marie Baker Miller never took a 3-pointer in her four-year varsity career for coach Mike Nocella.
"I lived inside," she said with a laugh.
In her first Mid-Suburban East game as a varsity coach, Miller's girls were living from the outside.
The Knights knocked down a season-high 10 3-pointers in a 53-42 triumph over visiting Wheeling on Friday night at the Jean Walker Filed House in Mt. Prospect.
Sophomore Eliot Dojutrek (team-high 11 points) and senior Jessica Kowalczyk (9 points) led the 3-point parade with 3 apiece while Helen Siavelis finished with 2 and 10 points.
"We talked in practice about facing a zone and having to hit our 3s," Siavelis said. "Obviously, we are a guard-dominated team and we have phenomenal shooters."
With less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter, the score was tied at 4-4.
And then the 3-pointer barrage took off.
Dojutrek came off the bench to start a 9-0 rally, with the first of 3 straight 3-pointers. Siavelis hit the next two and the Knights led 13-5 with 1:10 left in the period.
Dojutrek hit another just before the buzzer to make it 16-6 after one quarter and the Wildcats (3-4, 0-1)) never got closer than 6 points the rest of the way.
"Tip your cap to Prospect," said Wheeling coach Matt Weber. "When you're going through a game making 10 3-pointers, that's hard to defend. They took advantage of our mistakes. In the future, we have to get better defensively. We've got to get quicker, limit second chances and avoid putting the other team in those open-look positions."
Knights senior Ashley Adams added 8 points while Stephanie Kowakczyk (5 points) and Sarah Skaggs had the other two 3-pointers for Prospect (4-2, 1-0).
"Any MSL East game is going to be real important, especially our first one," Miller said. "You could tell it was a little shaky, a little ugly early. Anytime you throw a zone at us it's not really our bread and butter but we are getting used to it and we adjusted really well. We stayed under control and kept our composure."
Junior Morgan Collar led Wheeling with 12 points, followed by Nosa Igiehon (8 points), Chloe Drozdz (7 points), Sophia Stanke (7 points) and Tommy Helms (6).
"I thought defensively Prospect did a good job of collapsing on our posts," Weber added. "At the beginning we made some ill-advised passes and didn't take advantage for what they were doing defensively.
"And we know Nosa brings a lot of attention on the offensive end. We didn't take advantage of the open looks we had. Again, congrats to Prospect. They did a great job of making their open looks."
Miller loved her team's scoring balance.
"We're a team no matter what - in practice and in games," she said. "You've got to have team scoring if you want to be successful. You can't depend on just one person because things happen, fouls happens, and sometimes someone gets hot and then they're not. Tonight, we were all on that same level."
Abbey Danciu, Mia Gusloff and Jolene Neuhalfen also contributed to the Knights' offense.
"Both our sophomores (Dujotrek and Gusloff) continue to play not like sophomores," Miller added. "They continue to impress and play under control and a lot of that goes to our seniors and upperclassmen who give them confidence and have made them feel welcome and one of the team."