By Amanda Stickels, editor-in-chief
“Play like Prospect.” Coach Marie Miller has been saying this to her team all season. According to senior forward Tia Sadlon, the message conveys the confidence the Knights have in themselves.
“[Miller] always tells us to play like Prospect, and that’s a big thing that we’ve been focusing on because we know we can play faster and better, but sometimes we just forget or get caught up in other things, and we just need to relax and play like ourselves,” Sadlon said.
This phrase came up after a slow first half against Elk Grove with only a 7-4 lead after the first quarter. Coming out of the huddle, the Knights were ready to play like Prospect and pulled out a 55-42 win over the Grenadiers.  
Having trouble with an extended zone defense, the Knights’ offense adjusted in the second half, noticing the open middle of the lane.
We saw this in the third quarter when senior forward Abbey Danciu received the ball in the post and drove into the middle of the lane, finishing with a hook shot over an Elk Grove defender. This put the Knights up to a 33-21 lead.
An aggressive steal in the back court by senior guard Stephanie Kowalczyk, which led to an easy layup for senior guard Helen Siavelis was a momentum starter for Prospect.
Siavelis, the leading scorer for the Knights with 14 points, had the job of guarding the Daily Herald Player of the Week, Grenadier guard junior Megan Murray. Against Buffalo Grove a week prior, Murray scored 23 out of the team’s 46-43 win over the Bison. Siavelis said she prepared by watching game film of Murray and realizing that she needed to maintain a low defensive stance.
Holding Murray to only seven points, Siavelis credits her teammates for setting her up to have a successful night.
“Everyone’s always supporting each other. If someone messes up, everyone’s like, ‘It’s fine. There’s no hard feelings.’ … It’s a really positive environment that helps us keep our work ethic up,” Siavelis said.
In the fourth quarter, a jump shot from Sadlon with about five minutes gave the Knights a solid 17-point lead. Since that point, the team ran with the lead.
Miller said that this early-season win goes to show that the Knights have great potential.
“Another win in the MSL is always a plus,” Miller said. “We are making sure that we carry this to the next week. We’re constantly getting better, getting better every quarter, getting better every practice, getting better every day”