Sammons comes up big for Fremd again

Fremd's boys basketball team received another shot in the arm from junior forward Ryan Sammons Saturday afternoon at the Lakes MLK tournament.

Sammons hit for 6 3-pointers and scored 23 points in the Vikings' 55-34 win over Highland Park in the semifinals.

Fremd (12-5) faces Naperville Central (13-4) Monday at 2:30 p.m. for the championship.

"Sammons had a big weekend for us with back-to-back games," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "We had a lot of contributions. Caiden Suchy was a monster on the boards with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Our rebounding was very good. We were able to limit Highland Park on any second-chance shots."

Fremd held a commanding 30-15 rebounding edge.

Sammons credits his offseason work in helping make him a big producer for the Vikings.

"I think I have really stepped up my game the last three weeks," said Sammons, who also had 6 rebounds. "All the extra offseason work has been paying off. Our guards have looked for me because I've been able to hit the 3-point shots. I've been having a knack of finding open spots on the floor."

Senior guard Eli Schoffstall also played a key role in the win over the Giants (6-10), despite only scoring 3 points.

"Eli is an athlete and he was able to do a lot of different things for us on the floor today," said Widlowski. "You don't have to score to contribute."

Schoffstall helped disrupt Highland Park's offense with 5 steals and knocked numerous passes out of bounds. On offense Schoffstall contributed 5 assists.

"I just try to help my team as best I can," said Schoffstall. "I try to split gaps when I drive to the basket. That can open things up for the others. Everyone is playing well together and we have a lot of confidence."

After a slow start, Fremd and Highland Park were tied at 12 after the first quarter.

Trailing 16-13 with 7:30 left in the first half the Vikings, led by Sammons' 6 points and 4r from Mark Braun, led 25-18 at halftime.

With a 30-22 lead with 5:25 left in the third quarter, Fremd finished the frame with an 11-1 lead. Five different Vikings contributed. Fremd led 43-23 after the quarter.

Chris Smyros scored 8 points and Cameron Kuhl scored 6 points for Fremd. Both players had 6 rebounds.

"Give credit to Fremd," said Highland Park coach Ross Deutsch. "They are so sound on defense. They just contest everything. They always seem to be in the right spot."

I was pleased with our second-half defense," said Widlowski. "We did a nice job defending Sam Rohn."

Rohn finished with 7 points and Evan Bloom led the Giants with 9 points and 6 rebounds.