Fremd returning with sunny outlook

Fremd's girls basketball team is expected to return to Illinois from its Florida road trip Friday.

It is highly unlikely the Vikings will see any better competition in this state than they did in the previous three days in the Sunshine state.

Fremd won its final game on Thursday 52-49 over Rogers High School (Toledo, Ohio) to take third place in the eight-team American Division of the Naples Holiday Tournament.

Twelve of 16 teams in the event are expected to be in the mix for state championships in the respective states.

"Half the field went home 0-3 or 1-2," said Fremd coach Dave Yates whose club (14-1) was 2-1 with a win over Kentucky's No. 2 team (Butler, Ky.) on Tuesday. "That is pretty crazy when you realize how many good teams were here. We played three of them and showed that we are a pretty darn good team."

The Rams were the state runners-up last year and are ranked No. 2 in Ohio. Their starting five includes a Michigan, Toledo and Cincinnati recruit and one of the top freshman guards in the nation.

The heights of Rogers' starting five are 5-foot-9, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 and 6-3.

"I think our girls made a statement to more than 50 college coaches and national talent evaluators that we can play with anyone," Yates said. "It is one thing to come play in one of these national tournaments. It is another to travel and play well along with it. I couldn't be prouder of this group." Yates played all 13 girls in the first half on Thursday.

"This has been a very physically challenging three-game stretch for us," he said. "I was very pleased with our contributions off the bench."

Those included a big 3-pointer in the first half by Missy Adrian and strong play from Hayley Williams (6 points).

The Rams took a 6-point lead by using an 8-0 run to start the second half.

Fremd replied with an 8-3 burst to pull to within 1 point after three quarters.

The Vikes surged ahead 46-40 when Harvard recruit Grace Tworek hit a 3-pointer.

Rogers answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game with about two minutes left.

But Texas Southern-bound Brianna Lewis (14 points, 5 assists) hit a pull up jumper to put Fremd back ahead 48-46.

After a big stop, Maryville University recruit Erin Lenahan (8 points) hit a pair of free throws to lift Fremd's lead to 4 points.

Lewis then hit a pair of free throws with 29 seconds for the 52-49 lead and the Vikings came up with a final stop to earn the win.

"Brianna (Lewis) had an amazing game," Yates said. "She was un-guardable and played an extremely efficient game. She impacted the game on both ends of the floor in a big way. She had a great tournament and definitely showed well on a national stage."

After suffering an ankle injury against Paul VI on Wednesday, senior Julia Wacker (Hillsdale College, Mich. recruit) saw limited minutes on Thursday.

"Rogers had great size and was very talented," Yates said. "I was very pleased with our ability to tough this one out. We played really well and answered multiple runs with big plays on our end."

Tworek finished with 14 points getting 12 in the second half. She also had 10 rebounds and 5 steals.

"Grace had a very strong second half and hit some big shots down the stretch," Yates said.

Northwestern-bound Bryana Hopkins chipped in 13 points.

"Bry played a very steady game for us," Yates added. "She did a great job attacking the basket against their zone from the high post. I think she cemented her status nationally with three really strong games in this tournament."

Yates called it a "great trip" for his team, which has won two of the last three Mid-Suburban League championships and is currently tied for first in the MSL West with Schaumburg (both are 3-0).

Fremd swings back into action Tuesday when it visits MSL East co-leader Buffalo Grove (11-3, 3-0).

"We got some beach time in and had a great opportunity to bond as a team," Yates said. "It is one thing to come and play in one of these national tournaments. It is another thing to travel and play well along with it. I couldn't be prouder of this group."

Paul VI 60 Fremd 42: Fremd's only loss of the season came to the No. 3-ranked team in USA Today on Wednesday.

The Vikings were leading Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) in the first quarter. However, three players (Hopkins, Lenahan and Tworek) all picked up 2 fouls.

"I was very pleased with our first half," said Yates. "We took the lead and played them straight up for 16 minutes. We got great minutes from our bench in the second quarter."

While watching Paul VI in earlier games this season, Yates said the powerhouse team had gone on big rallies at some point of the first half.

"We were hanging with them the whole way," he said. "We did a lot of really good things on both sides of the ball."

The Vikings held Paul VI to 39 points after three quarters but were only able to score 5 points themselves in the third period.

"We just needed to make more plays in that third quarter," Yates said. "We got some really good looks. We just couldn't convert them.

"We were not going to beat this team scoring in the 40s. We had to answer their runs and we didn't. Their size and strength wore us down and I think that had a big impact on that quarter."

Fremd made only 9-of-19 free throws in the second half.

"That did not allow us to keep the game close," Yates said.

"But this was a great opportunity for our kids and our program. They are ranked No. 3 in the country for a reason. They are very, very good (have won 10 straight state championships)."

Yates said Paul VI featured seven or eight 'big time' Division 1 players in its rotation.

"And they had more D-1 kids in their top 12," he said. "They are very well coached and very talented. It was great learning experience for us.

"Our effort was excellent and I am pleased with our showing. We were right there except for that third quarter. We have a lot of positives to pull from this game."