Chase Larsen stood on Prospects baseline in shock. Prospects’ two-point lead had vanished as Fremd’s Ryans Sammons hit a corner three to take the 43-42 lead. 4.6 seconds remained on the clock as Larsen pitched the ball to Luke Zardzin who tossed it right back. Larsen streamed down the court, and, as time expired, the ball deflected off the rim. Prospect had lost 43-42 in another close game with the Fremd Vikings. 

“It always sucks when losing a close game. It hurts even worse when it feels like we shot ourselves in the foot, but we will turn this into a learning experience and continue to adapt.” Larsen said.

Close games have been a theme between these two teams in recent history and this game was no exception.  Both teams started the game out cold as multiple missed shots and loose balls lead to a slim 6-5 lead for Fremd. 

Scoring started to improve for Prospect as Sophomore Frank Covey knocked down a corner three to give the Knights an 8-6 lead. However, it seemed for every bucket Prospect gained, Fremd answered immediately, and they stole a 19-16 lead heading into halftime. 

The third quarter was a different story offensively for Prospect. In that quarter alone they scored the combined total of the first half. It seemed Prospect may have run away with the game by going on an 11-2 run with 2:44 left in the third quarter. Larsen had ten in the quarter with two from behind the arc, giving Prospect a 32-27 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Prospect would expand its lead to 38-30, the largest of the day, off of a Votzmeyer and Schneider three-pointer. However, this game was Fremd vs Prospect so it was only natural that Fremd would return an 8-2 run of their own tying the game at 40 points each with a minute and four seconds left on the clock. 

Owen Schnider drove to the hoop with 22 seconds and found Colin Votzmeyer open from behind the arc. Votzmeyer’s shot bounced off the rim, but a tip from Luke Zardzin gave Votzmeyer the ball once again. He drove to the basket and caught an arm between the hands. After a timeout from head coach John Camardellahe was on the stripe, shooting two. 

The quiet in the field house was unreal as not one of the 50 fans in the stadium made a sound. Votzmeyer stared down the basket and sank both of his shots giving Prospect the two-point lead with 18.4 seconds to go. Fremd’s Chris Smyros took the ball up slowly, exploding with speed as he crossed the three-point line. Zardzin was tight on him as he approached the basket, the shot wasn’t there. Smyros then chucked the ball cross-court to a wide-open Ryan Sammoms, a player who hadn’t scored all night. Samons took a step to his right and unloaded a textbook 3 pointer with 4.6 seconds on the clock.

Prospect was down by one once again. Camardella called a timeout and decided it would be Larsen to take the final shot. 

“The only thing I was telling myself was to make sure to get a good look. I knew I had enough time to get to the 3 point line, so my goal was to get a good look and see what happens.” Larsen said.

The look was there as Larsen pulled up from the top of the arc. He lofted a shot that bounced off the rim and rolled off the court. Prospect had once again lost another tight game to Fremd.

“It was a really tough loss, but now we are focused on Hersey and continuing to pursue an [MSL] East title. We are not losing focus” Larsen said.

Prospect will have that Hersey game on Feb. 22, as they fight for an MSL East title.