Tenacious D: Prophets hold Fulton scoreless for 9 1/2 minutes in win

ERIE – Prophetstown did not win with offense Tuesday. They won with a suffocating defense.

The Prophets only got two points from leading scorer Cassie Reiley, but their defense held Fulton scoreless for more than 9 1/2 minutes in Prophetstown’s 34-18 Class 1A Erie Regional semifinal win.

“They have a lot of tall people, and we’re pretty short,” said Riley Walters, who led Prophetstown with nine points, seven coming in the first half. “But, what we lack in size, we make up for in team speed,” Walters said. “Our defense really came together. I didn’t know we held them scoreless for that long. I try not to look at the scoreboard.”

The Prophets (20-9) advance to a regional championship showdown with Erie at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The teams split a pair of regular-season meetings.

Fulton (11-18) hung tough early, thanks to its defense. Leading 11-8 after a pair of free throws by the Steamers’ Samantha Raab with 4:30 left in the first half, Prophetstown began a 12-0 run, holding Fulton scoreless until the 2:57 mark of the third quarter. The burst made it 23-8.

Karlie Stafford started the run with a steal and a bucket. Heather Strike added a field goal and Kaeli Kovarik hit a couple free throws to make it 17-9 at the half.

Prophetstown picked up where it left off in the second half. Cassie Reiley scored her only two points before a pair of buckets by Catherine Medrano, who scored six of her eight points in the second half.

The Prophets, who beat the Steamers twice in the regular season, led by double digits the rest of the way.

“For stretches, their pressure got to us,” said Fulton coach Jesse Abbott, whose team did not have a single senior on the floor Monday. “Our defense did a great job. We just couldn’t put the ball in the basket.”

The Steamers, who managed just five field goals, got eight points from Morgan Sanquist.

Star of the game: Riley Walters, Prophetstown, 9 points, 7 in first half

Key performers: Catherine Medrano, Prophetstown, 8 points; Morgan Sanquist, Fulton, 8 points