Rolling Meadows tops Prospect in OT
What a difference a half a season makes.
At least that's what Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich thinks.
Katovich had just seen his Mustangs give up an 8-point lead with 1:34 left in the game against visiting Prospect, as the Knights closed out regulation with a 9-1 run to force a 50-all tie.
Prospect then scored the first 4 points in the overtime to lead 54-50.
Rolling Meadows came back strong in the extra period to edge Prospect 58-56 in the Mid-Suburban East matchup.
The loss dropped the Knights from the ranks of unbeaten teams in the MSL East; they're now 8-6 and 3-1.
"Early in the season," said Katovich, "the outcome might have been different. The difference is our defense. Both teams should be proud of the way they played. This was a great high school basketball game. It showed what sports is all about."
Junior Matt Wojcik (14 points) made the difference with a go-ahead basket with 1:34 left in the overtime.
"Matt really stepped up for us tonight both on offense and defense," Katovich. "He took some lumps last year but he has done a great job. That was obviously a big basket."
Frankie Mack (18 points, 5 rebounds) had just scored on a assist from Kyle Formanski for a 56-55 Prospect lead.
Wojcik drove the baseline, and popped in a 3-foot jump shot.
The Knights misfired three times on their next possession before Luka Pavlakis came down with the rebound and was fouled. Pavlakis hit the first of two free throws with :07 left.
Prospect's Kyle Beyak, who led a fourth-quarter charge with 7 of his 10 points, had his shot roll off the rim as time expired.
"I was impressed with the mentality and the will to win that Rolling Meadows showed with their young players," said Prospect coach John Camardella. "They controlled the tempo after the first quarter and has us playing from behind most of the game. They made the plays when they needed to."
Jared Murphy played his consistent game with 19 points for the Mustangs (6-8, 2-2) and sophomore Jack Schoessling added 13 points, including three 3s.
"We have had a lot of players learning to adapt to the speed of varsity ball," said Schoessling. "We've made some changes to our defense, going from zone to man-to-man. It's made us tougher. Playing varsity ball as a freshman last season, I was a role player. This year I feel more confident in my shot."
"This win really feels good," said Wojcik. "We had really worked hard in practice to get this win. Even when we lost the lead and fell behind in the overtime we played together and played as a team."