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Girls basketball: Scouting the Class 4A Palatine sectional final

Scouting the girls basketball state tournament

What: Class 4A Palatine sectional championship

Where and when: Palatine High School, 7 p.m. Thursday

Teams: No. 1 seed Fremd (26-4) vs No. 3 Hersey (24-6)

How they got here: Fremd defeat Libertyville 45-24 to win the Lake Forest regional, then defeated Buffalo Grove 63-47 in the sectional semifinal; Hersey defeated Wheeling 58-52 to win the Grayslake Central regional, then defeated Prospect 42-32 in the sectional semifinal.

Previous meeting: Fremd and Hersey met Dec. 2 in Arlington Heights with the Huskies claiming a 47-43 victory behind Juliette Vainisi (13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), Annie Korff (11 points, 9 rebounds), Claire Gritt (10 points, two 3-pointers) and Maggie Berigan (8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Kelly Weyhrich (8 assists).

Fremd's all-state guard and Duke-bound Haley Gorecki scored a game-high 22 points with 8 steals.

Fremd trailed by as many as 13 points late in the second quarter and was down by 8 early in the fourth period.

The Vikings got as close 45-43 on sophomore Grace Tworek's rebound layup with 19.2 seconds left.

Tworek (4 rebounds) finished with 9 points while teammate Brianna Lewis added 6 with 3 steals and an assist. Lauren Glaser had 4 rebounds while Bryana Hopkins had 2 rebounds and an assist.

Hersey made 10-of-12 free throws, all in the second half and Korff was 4-of-4.

Hersey starting lineup: Annie Korff (5-9 senior guard), Juliette Vainisi (5-7 senior guard), Kelly Weyhrich (5-2 sophomore guard), Claire Gritt (5-9 sophomore guard), Maggie Berigan (5-10 junior forward).

The reserves: Gina Miklasz (5-5 sophomore guard), Kristen Jackson (5-8 senior forward), Carly Cooper (5-6 sophomore), Emma Slosar (5-8 senior forward), Delaney Parker (5-5 junior guard), Erin McGrath (5-11 freshman), Claire Niemczyk (5-8 junior forward), Halle Lyon (5-10 senior forward), Susan Lindstrom (5-5 junior guard)

Fremd starting lineup: Haley Gorecki (6-0 senior guard), Brianna Lewis (5-2 junior guard), Bryana Hopkins (6-2 junior guard/forward), Erin Lenahan (5-10 junior guard), Grace Tworek (6-2 sophomore forward)

The reserves: Emily Bieda (5-7 senior guard), Lauren Glaser (5-4 junior guard),

Caroline Macius (5-11 senior forward), Amanda McCartney (5-7 junior guard), Julia Wacker (6-2 junior forward), Mackenzie Bednarek (6-0 junior forward), Jenna Simios (5-9 junior forward), Megan Chernich (5-9 senior guard), Missy Adrian 5-9 sophomore guard/forward), Haley Williams (5-5 sophomore guard), Becca Stapleton (5-10 junior forward), Emilija Peleckas (5-9 sophomore guard/forward).

The history: Fremd is making its third straight and fourth appearance in a sectional under eighth-year coach Dave Yates. The last time the Vikings won a sectional was 2001 under Hall of Fame coach Carol Plodzien, who also led Fremd to 12 Mid-Suburban League championships in 12 appearances.

In all, Fremd has won 20 regionals and five sectionals, dating back to the first one in 1977 when the Vikes took third in third in the Class AA state tourney.

Hersey coach Mary Fendley (353-160 in 17 seasons) has the Huskies in a sectional for the second straight season. Before that, their last appearance was in 2010 when they were fourth in the Class 4A tourney. In all, Hersey has 15 regionals title and two sectionals championship (1994 and 2010).

Advancement: The winner of this game moves on to the Hoffman Estates supersectional on Monday at 7 p.m. to face the winner of the Rockford Guilford sectional championship: Rockford Boylan (26-8) vs. Huntley (27-4) tonight at 7 p.m.

- John Leusch

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