Fremd wins one family-style
Fremd's girls basketball team had its game with Elk Grove well in hand on Friday night leading 57-20 to start the fourth quarter in Palatine.
When the Vikings inbounded the ball, it was in the hands of junior Midori Williams, who tossed the pass to her fraternal twin sister Hayley.
"This team is a family, literally and figuratively," said a smiling senior Julia Wacker, who scored 8 of the Vikings' first 15 points en route to a 76-24 triumph in the second round of the Turkey Thriller.
Wacker (8 rebounds, five on offense) finished with a team-high 15 points followed by junior Grace Tworek (12 points, 2 steals) and Hayley Williams (11 points) as the Vikings' transition game was in exceptional form, getting 5 assists from senior guard Brianna Lewis (8 points).
"That was so much fun playing at such a high energy level," Wacker added. "We came out very strong (26-2 lead). It's fun to play with such an experienced group because we all know what each other is doing on the floor.
"And we are so close as a team, especially after having such a big season (second in Class 4A). We have grown so much as a team. Having so many people back is fantastic and the girls who have come up and joined us are just as much a part of the family."
Midori Williams was the leading scorer for the sophomore team last season.
She made a nifty pass to Hayley who was cutting through the lane and converted a layup for Fremd's final basket of the game.
"It's fun," said Midori (3 rebounds), whose sister Bernie was an all-area standout forward for Fremd two years ago. "The whole team is a family."
Everyone is such good friends off and court and we work so well on court," Hayley added.
The Vikings' worked hard on offense and defense, limiting the Grenadiers to just 3 free throws until senior Abbey Sloan made a nice drive for Elk Grove's first field goal with 6:34 left in the second quarter.
Sloan finished with 13 points and 2 assists.
"She's excited to be starting at the point guard spot," said second-year Grens coach Jen Guth. "Abbey wants to show her quickness to the basket. And I think she will be able to do more of that against a team not as tall and talented as Fremd. She's ready to play at fast pace in a high-tempo game."
Sarah Pauscher led Elk Grove (0-2) with 5 rebounds. The senior forward also converted 3 of 4 free throws. Junior Jenny Banak tossed in the Grens' only 3-pointer.
"Fremd just has a lot of tools, smarts and basketball knowledge," Guth said. "Our girls really never gave up. They gave their best effort. We've just got to play smarter basketball."
Hayley Williams showed her long-distance touch by hitting three 3-pointers in a span of nine minutes during the first half.
Fremd senior Bryana Hopkins contributed 9 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds while classmate Erin Lenahan had 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists.
Junior Missy Adrian chipped in 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists while senior Amanda McCartney and junior Anna Lavalle each had 2 assists.
Seniors Lauren Glaser and Jenna Simios also had buckets for the Vikings, who are scheduled to come right back today for a noon game at Lake Zurich against the host Bears.
"I think you can tell we have really good depth," said Fremd coach Dave Yates. "We have a lot of kids I would say are 'varsity ready.' We've got really good balance with a lot of kids doing good things."