By Devin Prasad and Ryan Molini

Sports Editor and Staff Writer

Six All-Conference players, two division players of the year, two division coaches of the year and arguably two of the best fan sections in the area stepped into Fremd High School Feb. 26 with one goal in mind: a conference title.

Although the Knights fought hard coming back from a 14 point deficit in the third quarter, Fremd’s clutch free throw shooting helped them secure the MSL title, winning 55-52 and remaining undefeated with a record of 25-0.  Prospect’s overall record fell to 15-11.

Players of the year for both MSL divisions proved why they earned that title. Fremd senior guard Riley Glassman challenged Prospect’s defense throughout the game, forcing them to change their defensive strategy multiple times.

Glassman came out the gate energized. scoring 10 of his game high 24 points in the first quarter.

Throughout the first half, Fremd’s size and defensive pressure gave them an edge.  Going into half up 31-21, the Vikings looked to be on course for an easy victory, but the story of the season has been Prospect’s resilience, which was on display Wednesday night.

Prospect senior guard and East Player of the Year, Bobby Frasco was given responsibilities on both ends of the court.  Frasco was handed the task of guarding Glassman the entire second half while also leading the Knights in scoring with 18 points. Frasco was able to hold Glassman to only eight points in the second half.

A double-digit deficit in the third quarter required an aggressive offense for Prospect consisting of taking contested shots.

 “We saved a few extra of our set plays, all of them were for threes,” Coach John Camardella said. “The Knights went on to hit eight three-pointers in the 2nd half.”

Juniors Kyle Formanski and Grant Miller both had three three-pointers in the second half, making up 18 of Prospect’s 31 points in the half.

According to Camardella, Formanski had been working on his three-point shooting.

 “He buried a couple monster ones tonight,” Camardella said.

With the fourth quarter winding down, the Knights battled.  For a moment, it seemed the team would be able to defeat the previously undefeated, but free-throws from Fremd’s seniors Ben Carlson and Tom Cordell proved to be too much to overcome.

With seconds winding down, junior Kyle Beyak missed a three pointer to tie from the corner.  The shot was nearly identical to the one that Prospect missed to lose in the MSL title game one year ago.  For the team it was like deja vu, but overall, they were very positive after the loss and look to carry over lessons they learned into the regional tournament starting Monday.

“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys with how they played in an MSL title game,” Camardella said.