Out-of-state setback for Fremd
Fremd's girls basketball team suffered its first loss in the Nike Tournament of Champions on Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Vikings dropped a 67-56 decision to Horizon High School of Colorado in the semifinals of the Desper Division.
Haley Gorecki (17 points), Brianna Lewis (13) and Bryana Hopkins (12) led the Vikings (12-2).
"As well as we played the night before (win over Bishop Alemey), we did not bring the same intensity to this game," said Fremd coach Dave Yates. "The competition is too strong for us to not play at the highest level.
"Credit Horizon, they played a great game and out played us, they deserved to win this game. We gave a great effort in the end to try and close the gap, but they hit 12-of-14 free throws to keep the lead."
Fremd (12-2) will conclude play in the tourney on Monday at 3:20 p.m. in the third-place game against McClatchy High School (Sacramento, Calif.)
"We need to regroup and be ready to go on Monday because it isn't going to get any easier," Yates said. "Everyone in this bracket is very good."
St. Edward 43, St. Viator 30: St. Edward proved it is more than just a one-person show.
At 6-foot-3, Cece Rapp plays a huge role on both ends of the court for the Green Wave.
But when highly-recruited senior got into foul trouble early against visiting St. Viator it was up to the rest if her teammates to carry the load.
They did just that, prevailing with a 43-30 nonconference win over the Lions. Sophomore Madelyn Spagnola led the way with a game-high 18 points, including 4 3-pointers.
Freshman Myia Clark and senior Maddie McAteer led the Lions (3-7) with 9 points apiece while senior Jessica Hohlweg chipped in 6 points.
Clark had the Lions' only 3-pointer.
"We haven't been in that position very often," said St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson. "But when Cece was out the other girls did a great job of altering their style of play and working around their own strengths. I thought everyone played their roles to perfection."
The Green Wave (10-2) shot 6-of-11 (55%) from the field in the second quarter and outscored the Lions 14-6 to lead 23-14 at halftime. The Green Wave also stepped it up on the defensive end, holding St. Viator (3-7) to just 12-of-52 (23%) shooting from the field.
"Cece makes a huge impact on the defensive end," said Dawson. "During the times she wasn't in the game tonight I thought everyone else did an excellent job of closing the gaps inside and getting out on their shooters."