advertisement

Prospect weathers Geneva's attack

Early in the third quarter Saturday night at the 25th annual McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook, Geneva's girls basketball team went ahead for the first time when freshman Stephanie Hart hit a 17-footer for a 22-21 lead that soon became 26-21.

But then Clas 4A state-ranked Prospect showed its heart.

Senior Hannah Grott tossed a pass inside to classmate Catherine Sherwood, who shifted into high gear to the basket for a layup that kick-started a 14-0 run by the Knights en route to a 47-34 victory over the Vikings.

"We don't tend to get too nervous when we fall behind," said Brown recruit Taylor Will of Prospect, who had a game-high 23 points with 7 rebounds. "I feel that when we fall behind, we just get together as a group and know we've got to get back at it."

The highlight of the big rally came just after Will caught a pass from Nikki Matters and converted a layup to reclaim the lead for Prospect at 28-26.

On Geneva's next possession, Sherwood made a steal and raced down the court.

She got to within about 14 feet of the basket, then abruptly pivoted and flipped a pass back out to Will who was standing at the 3-point arc.

Will calmly sank the long-range bucket for a 31-26 cushion with 1:08 left in the third quarter and the Knights were on their way.

"That changed the course of the game," said Prospect coach Ashley Graham. "It was a great pass and great vision by Cat. Then Taylor has the presence of mind to take the shot and knock it down."

"Actually, I wasn't expecting it," Will said. "It looked like she was going all the way to the basket. Then she hit me with a great pass."

Two layups by Sherwood followed and the Knights led 35-26 with 6:59 left in the game.

Geneva (14-5) never got closer than 5 points.

Sherwood finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

"We knew going in they (Will and Sherwood) were really good players," said Vikings coach Sarah Meadows. "We needed to slow down No. 10 (Will).

"We did a better job with some adjustments in the second half."

The Vikings also had to adjust to playing without two starters.

Senior Kate Rogers went out with an ankle injury in the first quarter and Abby Novak had to leave about midway through second period with a dislocated finger.

Sophomore Grace Loberg sprained her ankle the night before but the 6-foot-2 forward gutted out Saturday's game scoring a team-high 14 points with 7 rebounds while senior Janie McCloughlan added 10 with 7 rebounds.

"We were a little banged up," said Meadows, whose team is listed among those receiving votes in the Class 4A poll. "But our kids fight and work hard. Sarah Brauer (4 assists, 2 rebounds) saw her most minutes (15:57) all season and I'm very proud of her."

Prospect led by as many as 9 points in the first half but Geneva closed to within 3 at half, thanks to three straight baskets by Loberg to close the second quarter.

Freshman Margaret Whitley's 13-footer in the lane got the Vikings to within 22-21 before they went ahead on Hart's shot.

Whitley came back with a 3-pointer and a free throw to give Geneva its 26-21 lead.

"Margaret hit some big 3s," Meadows said. "I told the girls Grace and Janie were the only kids playing in the first half, and said we needed our guards to step up and start making plays.

"We were looking forward to this kind of competition. You only get better playing these kinds of teams."

Prospect got 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 points from Haley Will while Matters grabbed 6 rebounds with 2 assists.

"There was definitely pressure because we knew they were really a good team and this was kind of the prime-time game," Sherwood said. "Eight o'clock is when you want to be playing. It was an honor."

"It's a very big win not only against a great team but against a great program with a rich tradition," Graham said.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.