Prospect thinks quick in OT, edges Barrington
Scoring first in overtime in high school basketball is extremely important, because with no shot clock, it puts the other team into scramble mode almost immediately.
On Saturday night at Prospect, the Knights scored two quick baskets to open the extra session, and that was enough for them to defeat Barrington 57-54 in a Mid-Suburban crossover.
Mike Houghton scored just 20 seconds into the OT and Bobby Frasco followed with a layup 36 seconds later to give Prospect (4-2) a 56-52 lead and all the offense it would need to complete a 2-0 weekend.
“That momentum was huge because overtime is only four minutes,” Houghton said.
“It’s almost like who scores first (in overtime) and I thought we gave up two pretty easy baskets to them,” said Barrington coach Bryan Tucker.
Robby Vollman scored with 1:47 left to make it a one-possession game and Barrington (3-4) had several chances to tie but couldn’t convert.
Frasco, who scored a game-high 17 points, split a pair of free throws with 3 seconds left and used his 6-foot-4 frame to block Brad Zaumseil’s desperation 3-point attempt as time expired.
That the game went to overtime was fitting after a back-and-forth fourth quarter in which neither team could pull away.
Zaumseil scored 7 of his 13 points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer for a 48-45 lead with 3:01 left in regulation, but Frasco answered with a deep 3.
Raymond Tolentino (9 points) sank 2 clutch free throws with 1:08 remaining for a 52-50 lead and Devin O’Hara responded with a pretty spin move and bank shot with 44 seconds left to tie it again.
“We went to our spread and tried to get the ball to the middle,” said Prospect coach John Camardella. “We tried to get mid-range shots or kickouts for threes.”
Zach Bart had a team-high 14 points for Barrington while Scott Nelson added 12 points and along with Zaumseil, was responsible for directing a patient offense that assisted on 13 of 19 made field goals.
“We feel if we play as a team, we have a chance every night, and that’s what you saw tonight,” Tucker said.
Houghton finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, aiding in a 24-17 edge on the boards.
Prospect’s Danny Thomas contributed 7 points off the bench, including a 3-pointer that beat the first-quarter buzzer and gave the Knights a 21-13 lead.
“Both teams would say there’s things that they want to improve on, but games like that make both teams better,” Camardella said. “I’m glad we came out with the win.”