Prospect tops Stevenson

Prospect cruised out to a 27-point lead at half before defeating Stevenson 69-41 Friday night in the Charger Classic at Dundee-Crown .

Up by 10 points after the first quarter, Prospect (12-1) looked to be getting into rhythm offensively.

And even though the Patriots’ Melanie Despinich hit a quick 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second, it was all Knights from there.

Stopping Stevenson on seven straight trips down court, the Knights went on a 20-0 run, spanning all but 30 seconds of the quarter, to eventually go into the locker room with a 41-14 lead.

“You got to give the girls all the credit,” Graham said. “We talked to them today about how we wanted to defend (Stevenson), and they went out and did it.”

Outrebounding the Patriots 27-19, Prospect was able to turn around and generate a big offensive attack. Leading the way was junior Catherine Sherwood, who had 22 points on only 11 shots, all coming inside the paint. Teammate Taylor Will, a junior who finished with 19 point, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, was able to control the perimeter, hitting three 3-pointers over the course of the game.

Surprisingly, it was freshman Haley Will (younger sister of Taylor) that had the ball in her hands the most for Prospect. Though she had just 5 points, she finished with 6 assists and started most offensive possessions for the Knights.

“She’s probably made the biggest impact for us this year,” Graham said. “She truly wants the best for Taylor and for the rest of the team as well.”

For Stevenson (8-5), size may have been a factor in the poor offensive performance. But Patriots coach Tom Dineen thought lack of energy was a bigger problem.

“For as well as we played last night, that’s how poorly we played tonight,” he said. “We didn’t move our feet and they penetrated to the basket. We were flat-footed and they got every loose ball. Give them credit.”

While no Stevenson player made it to double digits, Jessica Burke (9 points, 6 rebounds) and Taylor Buford (8 points, 2 assists) led Stevenson in a productive 16-point third quarter.

“I’m not happy about (our performance), but we only have 24 hours to turn it around before we face another good team,” Dineen said.

Stevenson will face Hononegah at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, while the Knights meet Evanston at 6:30 p.m. in the tournament semifinals.