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Lake Zurich holds on against Fremd

Lake Zurich has played a record number of games this season. And the Bears made sure they would add to that record Wednesday night.

Surviving a wild finish, Lake Zurich held off Fremd 38-37 in the Class 4A boys basketball sectional semifinals at Fremd High School in Palatine.

The Bears (24-9) advance to the sectional title for the first time in school history and will meet top-seeded Conant at 7 p.m. Friday.

In order to get there, No. 3-seeded Lake Zurich had to stave off No. 2 Fremd in the waning moments of the game.

With Lake Zurich leading by 1 point with 34.6 seconds left, Fremd missed the tying free throw.

The Bears rebounded the ball, but turned it over just seconds later on a traveling call at half court.

The Vikings had a chance to take the lead twice, but missed two shots at the basket.

But Fremd's Kyle Sliwa forced a jump ball after the second miss and the Vikings were awarded possession with the arrow pointing in their direction. The Vikes took a timeout with 12.1 seconds left.

"We thought that with 12 seconds left if we went zone it would take them a while to figure things out," said Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher. "That was their last time out so we decided to go zone."

Pitcher's strategy paid off as Fremd forced the ball back to the perimeter as the clock ticked down.

But the Vikings were able to get the ball to the baseline to to Ryan Martin, who drove and then banked the ball off the backboard.

It hit the front of the rim and spun out to the Bears' Ryan Kutsor who clamped down it for the victory.

"That was just a war," Pitcher said. "To come in here and beat them on their home floor is just excellent. It is a sign of our kids and our character.

"When you play 32 games, you should have things down. So yes, it was one of our best defensive games as it should, be this time of the year."

Lake Zurich showed that defense when it really counted in the second half.

The Bears limited Fremd to 14 percent (3-of-21) in the second half, and one of those field goals was a jam by Patrick Benka.

The game was a defensive battle as both teams had trouble scoring at times thanks to the pressure by both sides.

It was tied seven times and had four lead changes before Lake Zurich scored the final 5 points of the third quarter to take a 35-30 lead.

The defense got even better as both teams combined for just 1-of-12 shooting from the field in the first five minutes of the final period.

Fremd pulled to 35-34 as Benka stole the ball and drove for an uncontested jam with 2:30 to play.

Lake Zurich, which converted 14 of 26 shots through the first 3 quarters, hit its only field goal in the fourth quarter on a layup by Nick Meyer (12 points) with 1:12 to play to put the Bears up 37-34.

It was made and missed free throws that had the student sections from both schools in a full uproar down the stretch.

Sliwa nailed a pair of free throws with 45.1 seconds left to cut the Bears' lead 37-36.

Lake Zurich's Nick Penny then added a free throw to increase it to 38-36.

And Sliwa made the first of two free throws with 34.6 seconds left to make it a 1-point game. That closed out the scoring.

"It was obviously a possession game back and forth," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "I thought we got some stops and gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. We just never got over that last hump. But I am proud of our kids' effort tonight and all season."

Penny, who led Lake Zurich with 14 points, said the experience of the season is what helped his team in the end.

"We are just a bunch of leveled-headed kids," Penny said. "I think just playing through the season and so many games, that we have been able to get better and better."

Michael Bens, who finished with 9 points, drew the task of guarding Sliwa, the Vikings' playmaker and one of their leading scorers.

Bens, who was with Sliwa at every moment, limited him to just 5 free throws and 5 shots.

"Coach said that my job was to make sure he didn't shoot," Bens said. "And that's what I did. I just focused on making sure he wasn't open and trailed him all game."

While Sliwa was limited thanks to the play by Bens and the foul trouble he got in during the first half, Fremd (23-7) relied on Benka and the 6-foot-8 senior did not disappoint his teammates.

He finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.

He was also a thorn in the side of Lake Zurich throughout the game, forcing one player to foul out and saddling another with foul trouble.

It was his energy that seemed to spark the Vikings according to Widlowski.

"That was one of his most complete games," Widlowski said. "He had some great rebounds and a lot of loose balls and he was very good defensively."

Brian Dompke added 6 points and 8 rebounds for Fremd while Sliwa chipped in 5 points and Payton Kim 4.

Images: Lake Zurich edges Fremd, 38-37 in boys sectional basketball

  Lake Zurich's Ryan Kutsor, middle, and Nick Penny celebrate their team's victory as Fremd's Patrick Benka looks away during the Fremd sectional semifinal in Palatine Wednesday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Lake Zurich's Nick Penny, left, gets called for a foul while trying to recover the ball from Fremd's Patrick Benka, who stole the ball from the Bears' Nick Meyer during the Fremd sectional semifinal in Palatine Wednesday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Lake Zurich's Ryan Kutsor, middle, and Nick Penny celebrate their team's victory as Fremd's Patrick Benka looks away during the Fremd sectional semifinal in Palatine Wednesday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Fremd's Ryan Martin, left, and Lake Zurich's Ryan Kutsor dive for a loose ball during the Fremd sectional semifinal in Palatine on Wednesday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Fremd's Patrick Benka, right, makes a strong move to the basket against Lake Zurich defender Andrew Gilbertson during the Fremd sectional semifinal in Palatine on Wednesday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Fremd's Luke Schoffstall, left, and Samson Oladimeji grab a rebound in front of Lake Zurich's Andrew Gilbertson during the Fremd sectional semifinal in Palatine Wednesday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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