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Regine Prentice prides herself on providing whatever basketball roster she joins with hard work and great expectations. A key contributor to successful squads at Prep Charter High School, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., the 19-year-old senior guard last year sought a chance to change Universal Audenried Charter High School, 3301 Tasker St., into a contender and has reveled in the Rockets’ ascent, a climb that includes Friday’s 57-15 home triumph over the A. Philip Randolph Raptors.
“We have a great attitude, and I think we’ll be right there at the end,” the resident of the 1300 block of South Corlies Street said after depositing 27 points. “We expect success so we have to go and make it happen.”
The Grays Ferry inhabitant elected to enroll at her neighborhood secondary institution based on the dual influence of sophomore forward Deja McKinney and first-year coach Kevin Slaughter. The former suggested Prentice attend a summer instructional camp under the guidance of the latter, a 1993 Third-Team All-Public selection for his feats at West Philadelphia High School. Gravitating toward the group immediately, she left behind her days of competing for minutes as a West Passyunk-based baller to an opportunity to break ankles and records.
“Regine is the missing piece, the lightning bolt that makes it all work,” Slaughter, of the 2400 block of Moore Street, said of his scoring machine, who started the contest averaging just under 22 points per tilt. “We’ve come to depend on her, and she’s responded every time.”
The Point Breeze dweller has already seen his performers top their site’s previous program-best single-season total of seven victories, with the young ladies taking a 10-5 mark, including a 6-0 Division C slate, into their rendezvous with the Raptors. Relying on perimeter shooting from Prentice and interior intensity from McKinney and senior center Keaundra “Shaq” Clark, the Rockets entered a huge favorite to keep the visitors a one-win unit and opened the game on an 11-0 run. The aforementioned stars would account for all of the host’s 18 first-quarter points, with Prentice earning 10 of them.
“That’s our thing, trying to get on top of them early,” the gifted teenager said of building a 12-point cushion after eight minutes.
Having shown her range to start the game, Prentice used the second quarter to display her defensive prowess, as she stole three passes and received the feed from teammates off two more to tally five layups. The frame essentially mirrored the first, as the guests could not contain Prentice or stymie the tenacious Rockets’ defenders, whom Slaughter applauded for as loudly as the fans did when the athletes took a 38-12 lead into halftime.
“It’s looking really good for us today,” he said as they discussed shoring up plans to have the third yield as many points as the entire first half. “Win with class. Let it all hang out.”
Prentice has always enjoyed following similar advice. A prolific scorer since her days as a young chucker at Center City’s Seger Park, she regards herself as a hard worker and never succumbs to supplying herself with too many doubts or fears.
“I really like that my game is built on being attentive and getting better,” she said of bringing a positive attitude to the Rockets’ bench, where she and Clark are the only seniors. “Our team setup is strong, and we’re feeling good about ourselves.”
The Audenried crew filled Slaughter with pride Dec. 7, as his charges advanced to the title game of the Overbrook Tournament, an especially impressive accomplishment considering they needed to play three games that day. They dumped Sayre and West Philadelphia, respectively, behind 61 points from Prentice before running out of energy against Imhotep in a 67-22 loss in which she scored 17 points.
“We learned a lot about ourselves last month, and we’ve been trying to improve ever since,” she said.
Prentice and her contemporaries did not reach 70 during the third as Slaughter had desired, but she continued to toy with the opposition, banking in a three-pointer and hitting two difficult baseline floaters, as she again outscored the Raptors in helping to stretch the lead to 55-14. Because of the size of the deficit, the teams played with a running clock in the final, mostly uneventful, frame during which Prentice watched from the sideline.
“There’s still a bit we have to work on,” the sharpshooter, who scored 15 points Monday in a 46-45 loss to Franklin Towne Charter at the Community College of Philadelphia-situated International Student Athlete Association MLK Showcase and who hoped to blast the Rockets past Elverson Military Academy yesterday in a game that ended after press time, said. “Me, I want to improve my defense, but that’s something I look forward to.”
As Prentice, who will look for another stellar performance tomorrow at home versus Sankofa, masters matters, she will likely nab more suitors, with Cheyney, Georgia Southern, Lincoln and Morgan State universities already courting her. She enjoys handling the attention but wants it to come with continued respect for her team.
“We can go to the state tournament, for sure,” Prentice said. “And win.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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