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Sliwa, Fremd finish 10-0 in MSL West

Fremd 46, Palatine 32: Kyle Sliwa made sure that his final home game was a memorable one.

The Fremd senior poured in 27 points, his third-highest scoring game in his three-year varsity career to lead the Vikings past crosstown rival Palatine 46-32 Friday in Palatine.

"It is always good to get a win against Palatine," said Sliwa, who nailed five 3-pointers and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line.

"It really hasn't hit any of us that this was our last home game. We wanted to go out strong today and get ready for the playoffs."

Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said his senior guard took over when the Vikings needed him most.

"He (Sliwa) really stepped us for us tonight," Widlowski said. "We did not have control of the pace of the game and Kyle Sliwa really came through for Fremd tonight. We needed a spark and he provided it."

Fremd (25-0, 10-0) kept its winning streak alive thanks to that spark.

The Vikes led 24-16 with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Palatine (10-18, 4-6) then began to frustrate the Vikings with a 2-3 zone defense.

The Pirates began to find their mark and closed to 27-25 on a 3-pointer by Scotty Elter with 3:35 left in the period.

Sliwa then took over.

The Vikings scored 8 unanswered points, with Sliwa nailing a pair of 3s as Fremd opened up a 35-25 lead with 52 seconds left in the period.

Fremd then pulled away in the fourth quarter.

With a comfortable lead, the Vikings kept the ball away from Palatine.

The Pirates managed just three shots over the first six minutes of the quarter and Sliwa converted 6 consecutive free throws to ice the game.

"The little window they give, you have to capitalize on it," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone. "I thought for the most part, we played at a tempo that suited us. For us to be successful, we needed a game to be in the 30s. Unfortunately for us, only one of the team scored in the 30s."

Fremd will meet MSL East champion Prospect, which defeated Hersey 77-53 to clinch that title, on Wednesday in Mt. Prospect.

The Vikings also found out earlier on Friday that they are the top seed in the Elk Grove Class 4A sectional which begins Feb. 27.

"We had a nice atmosphere tonight," Widlowski said. "This will benefit us as we head to the MSL championship game and the playoffs."

Brian Dompke had 7 points and 5 rebounds for Fremd. Palatine was led by Cortez Hogans, who had 12 points, and Jake Moertl, who chipped in 7 points.

- Dick Quagliano

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