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An intense victory for Fremd

Those watching Fremd and Niles North battling each other for 32 minutes in the Wheeling Wildcat Hardwood Classic Tuesday couldn't help but be reminded of similar matchups between Fremd and the Bob Williams-coached Schaumburg teams of a decade ago.

The teams contested every possession like the state title was on the line, and Fremd responded like the defending tournament champion it is with a 61-58 quarterfinal victory. Fremd's semifinal opponent Friday will be Lake Park, a winner over Libertyville earlier Tuesday.

"That's the way we approached it, the way they used to defend," Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said. "That's the reference point we used when we did our walkthrough this (Tuesday) morning."

Understanding and anticipating the defensive intensity that Niles North brought to bear helped Fremd ratchet up its pace as well and allowed the Mid-Suburban League Vikings to withstand a third-quarter run that saw the Central Suburban League Vikings wipe out a 12-point Fremd lead to tie the score at 41, just 21 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Niles North came out of a time out with a renewed sense of urgency instilled by coach Glenn Olson and finished the third quarter on a 16-6 run that left Fremd clinging to a 41-39 lead.

"It's great that they responded," Olson said. "We're a good team, but if we want to be a really good team, we shouldn't have to respond."

Fremd took advantage of its free throw opportunities in the fourth quarter, converting 11 of 13, including 6 straight by Kyle Sliwa and 5 by Xavier Williams, who scored Fremd's last 7 points, including a pair of pressure free throws with 8.5 seconds remaining.

"We practice that situation a lot," Williams said. "There was a lot of pressure. They're the quickest team we've seen, and they all rebound hard."

Williams finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Sliwa scored 15, and Zach Schoffstall scored 14, 12 in the first half.

"We hit our free throws and took care of the ball down the stretch," Widlowski said. "(Xavier) stepped up and did a good job, and I thought Kyle Sliwa did a good job, too."

Niles North's Danilo Ranger came off the bench and registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Images: Fremd vs. Niles North, boys basketball

  Fremd's Brian Dompke, left, tries to catch up to Niles North's Malik Dupree during Wheeling tournament quarterfinal play Tuesday Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
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