advertisement

Persistent Pruitt helps Carmel bounce back

She's soft-spoken off the court.

On the court, however, it's a different story for Carmel Catholic junior forward Daija Pruitt.

After her team lost its season opener in the Mundelein Thanksgiving tournament, it was Pruitt's tenacity that helped propel the Corsairs to a 45-37 victory over Highland Park in second-round action Tuesday night.

Pruitt pumped in 14 points to lead all scorers. She also snared 9 boards to go along with 3 blocks and 2 steals.

"She's a special player," said coach Kelly Perz, whose Corsairs (1-1) continue round-robin play when they take on Grayslake North at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. "She finishes well, is a great passer, and uses her body well. She's more aggressive and we really liked seeing that in the game tonight."

It was that kind of aggressiveness that helped spark the Corsairs, as the game wasn't easy, especially in the early going.

Highland Park (0-2) came out blazing, jumping out to a 12-4 advantage with 3:05 left in the opening quarter. Sophomore guard Kirby Bartelstein had the hot hand, nailing a 3-pointer and layup during the spree.

But defensive pressure was turned up a notch as Carmel answered with a 6-0 run to draw within 12-10 after a runner by senior guard Alex Amato (10 points) with 4:48 left in the half.

Amato then hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 13-13, and Pruitt's layup gave Carmel its first lead at 15-13 with 3:05 left before intermission.

"We had spurts where we played very well as a team and took better care of the ball, especially in the second half," Perz said. "We're the kind of team that needs to be on it and show that energy the entire game, not just in spurts."

Carmel used another 6-0 run to open the third period, stretching its lead to 25-16 with 5:35 left. But Highland Park wasn't going quietly, as junior forward Maile Lunardi hit a putback off a missed 3-point attempt at the buzzer to tie the game at 29-29 heading to the fourth.

"We needed to take better care of the ball (in that third quarter)," said Perz, whose team committed 6 turnovers in the period and finished with 18 for the game. "We'd like to have 15 turnovers or fewer for a game. We just needed to execute better in that quarter and be more efficient."

After a free throw gave Highland Park a 30-29 lead to open the fourth, Carmel took the lead for good at 31-30 on a layup by junior forward Mary Kate Mooney (4 points). From there, the defense showed its stuff. Pruitt blocked a shot and scored 6 points, as the Corsairs pulled away from the pesky Giants.

"It was tough, at first," said Pruitt, who fittingly blocked Highland Park's final shot attempt at the end of the game. "Our defense was good in the end. I just tried doing anything to help my team. We have to have that mindset that we need to be ready for anything during the entire game."

Senior guard Dani DeLozier chipped in 6 points for Carmel, which made 6-of-9 free throws down the stretch to help preserve the victory.

Lunardi and senior forward Dahlia Cohen each had 8 points for Highland Park.

  Carmel's Anna Hoffman, right, looks to take a shot under pressure from Highland Park's Dahlia Cohen during Tuesday's tournament game at Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Carmel's Anna Hoffman, right, pressures Highland Park's Dahlia Cohen during Tuesday's tournament game at Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Carmel's Alexa Amato, right, drives past Highland Park's Maile Lunardi during Tuesday's tournament game at Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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.