NARRAGANSETT – For any struggles in the past half-decade, the Prout girls basketball team can wipe the narrative with one good year. And they may have found the true star-level piece to help do so.
Erin Young, a senior in her third year with Prout basketball, scored 22 points last Thursday as the Crusaders pulled off a surprising opening day win over Narragansett, a team that went 17-1 in D-III last year and beat Prout in the process. Young followed it up with 20 more points on Tuesday in a loss to Lincoln School.
It’s only been two games, but Young looks like the real deal on both ends of the court. Her performance against Narragansett helped deliver a Crusader win that, depending on how the season goes, could end up being the most important victory for the program in years.
“I think I just knew what my team needed in the moment,†Young said last Thursday after the win at Narragansett High School. “I just needed to step up and do my part and to help my team with encouraging each other, because we can win and we do that when we’re all together.â€
Young’s talent on the court isn’t anything new. She’s experienced with AAU basketball and showed flashes of brilliance in her sophomore and junior seasons after transferring to Prout from Barrington Christian Academy. She made her mark right away as a sophomore as a well-rounded and quick guard, but a foot injury and an illness slowed her down as a junior when she only played a handful of games.
With the way she came into this season, it was clear she’s primed to fully break out.
“I think she had a great summer with her grassroots team, and she came in this year and was locked in from the minute she started,†head coach Scott Marques said. “Not just offensively, but defensively she was leading our communication out there. I've never had a team in three years be that loud.â€
Other Crusaders are helping lead the charge in terms of on-court communication. Senior Ella Martin has been a vocal leader in four different sports since transferring to Prout. Lauren Gill, as a freshman, played goalie for Prout’s D-II title-winning girls soccer team in the fall. They’re helping energize a defense that could be the key to success in Division III.
Against Narragansett, Prout looked like the more energized team. The high level of defense helped the Crusaders put together a second half where they outscored the Mariners 34-4. Prout won by a final of 48-25 despite likely being the underdogs entering the game.
It was an especially big deal to beat Narragansett. The Mariners went 17-1 last season and retained their biggest contributors which suggests they should be one of the better teams in D-II. Whether it was early-season rust or not for Narragansett, Prout played the better game.
“We wanted to prove to ourselves that we can face other people and better competition and still do our thing,†Young said.
“This was an incredible performance from our team,†Marques added. “For the first time in three years we're going to show a lot of people something, and we did tonight.â€
Young snagged eight steals in the contest – a game-high by far. She shot 10-of-18 from the field and made two of her four 3-point attempts. The Crusaders came back from down 21-14 at halftime, and the second-half run started when Young drilled a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter.
* For the full story, pick up a copy of this week's Independent on newsstands now or purchase a subscription to our E-Edition by clicking here.
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