Box Score
A long drought came to an end for the Prairie Fire, and perhaps on the perfect night.
Knox defeated Lake Forest College (12-10, 10-7 MWC), the fourth-place team in the Midwest Conference, 52-47 Wednesday in the final home game of the season. The only senior for the Fire, Jenny Haskell (Murphys, California), was recognized -- along with her parents -- before the game. She would play a huge role in the victory, the first for Knox against the Foresters in over two decades.
The Foresters needed a win to earn a spot in the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament slated for February 25-26 at St. Norbert College. Instead, Lake Forest suffered its second straight loss and will have to win Saturday at home against Grinnell College for a shot at postseason play.
The Prairie Fire (6-16, 5-12 MWC) had a tough time knocking down shots in the first half, connecting on 24 percent. Lake Forest wasn't much better at 29 percent and held a 22-20 lead at halftime. But unlike the last three games against the Foresters, Knox did not allow Lake Forest to run away with the game in the second half.
The Prairie Fire took a 33-32 lead thanks to a 5-0 run 7:30 into the second half after the game was tied on five different occasions. The Foresters forced the sixth tie of the game at 33-33 on a free throw before Knox strung together another 5-0 run, capped off by a jump shot from first-year guard Chantal Heckman (Chicago, Illinois), to go up 38-33 with 10:50 to play.
Lake Forest responded with a 12-3 spurt over the next 3:10 to retake the lead and extend it to four at 45-41. A basket by Sam Schuring at the 5:56 mark, which accounted for the final points of the run, was the last field goal the Foresters scored in the contest.
The Prairie Fire made its move with 3:32 to go in the game. Haskell hit 7-of-8 free throws, junior Kelly Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) had a field goal and a free throw and sophomore Sara Johnson (Grinnell, Iowa) sank a free throw as Knox closed on an 11-2 run to win the game. Fittingly, Haskell preserved the victory by stealing an errant pass as the Foresters tried to get the ball to a three-point shooter on their final possession and trailing 50-47. The Fire's senior leader then calmly swished two free throws after she was fouled with three seconds on the clock.
Knox outscored LFC 42-37 in the second half, when both teams shot much better than they did during the first 20 minutes. The Foresters made 50 percent of their shots (10-of-20) and finished the game at 37 percent. The Fire connected for 40 percent (8-of-20) from the floor over the final 20 minutes and shot 31 percent overall. The big difference was at the foul line, where the Prairie Fire outscored Lake Forest 20-6. Knox also forced 21 turnovers while committing 15.
Knox earned its first win against Lake Forest since the 1986-87 season, a 58-57 Fire victory. The win also snapped a six-game losing streak.
Haskell led the Prairie Fire with 15 points. She also had six rebounds, six assists and six steals. Junior Krystyna Williams (Evanston, Illinois) had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ricketts added 11 points.
Schuring paced the Foresters with 15 points and Emily Weber chipped in with 10. Tabytha Harvey came off the bench to grab 14 rebounds for Lake Forest.
The Prairie Fire hopes to end the season on a high note Saturday at Monmouth College. The Fighting Scots (14-8, 12-5 MWC), which split with Lake Forest last week, lost 54-44 Wednesday night at Illinois College despite holding the Lady Blues (13-9, 11-6 MWC) to 31 percent shooting in the game.
The Scots are currently in second place in the Midwest Conference and have qualified for the MWC Tournament. Monmouth has been tough on opponents at Glennie Gym. The Scots, which defeated the Prairie Fire 70-59 in the first game between the teams January 8, own an 8-2 home record.
The tip-off for Saturday's contest is scheduled at 3:00 p.m.
