True to form, another Fremd-Meadows thriller

Add another terrific chapter to the Fremd and Rolling Meadows girls basketball rivalry.

Since Ryan Kirkorsky took over as the Mustangs coach six years ago, he and Fremd coach Dave Yates have watched their teams play some of the area's most thrilling games against one another.

Wednesday was no exception when they collided in the final round of the Turkey Thriller at Lake Zurich High School.

The Vikings rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to send the game to overtime, where they outscored the Mustangs 11-3 for a 55-47 triumph.

Both teams finished with 3-2 records to tie for second behind powerful Rock Island in the six-team event.

Although she's only been part of the rivalry for a few games, Fremd sophomore Emily Klaczek has already seen the competitive spirit that prevails between two teams, which have two second-place Class 4A state trophies apiece this decade.

"Both teams are coached very well, and it's always a rivalry no matter what the circumstances," said Klaczek, who led Fremd with 11 points. "Meadows is a great team and they played great today."

The Mustangs looked great when they opened up a 10-point lead early in the second half.

Junior guard Alexa Davis (12 points) connected for a 3-pointer that pushed the Meadows lead to 29-19 with 6:58 left in the third quarter.

But the Vikes answered with a 3-pointer from senior guard Colleen Kennedy (7 points) and began to inch closer.

"About halfway through the game, I'm like 'Here we go, it's another Meadows-Fremd game'," Yates said. "It doesn't matter who's the better team. The records never matter. It's always a close, knock-down, drag-out game."

Junior Elise Kowalski's second 3-pointer gave Meadows a 40-35 lead with 5:50 left.

But a layup by sophomore Caroline Cochran (9 points) and 3-point play by Kennedy tied the game at 40-40.

"Everyone stepped up whether it was someone off the or a starter," Klaczek said. "Everyone played their role and we slowly got stops on defense and made our way back into the game."

The game was tied at 42 and again at 44 when Fremd freshman Ruthie Montella (5 points) made a steal under the Meadows' basket and ended up with the ball at the other end of the court where she sank a layup with 42.2 seconds left to seal the scoring in regulation.

"I thought we had some chances to extend our lead a little but we didn't and that was the difference in the game," Kirkorsky said. "But credit to Fremd. They made some big plays to keep it close."

In OT, it was Fremd extending the lead throughout the four-minute session.

Freshman Grace LaBarge (an all-tourney honorable mention) won the opening tip in OT and hit 2 free throws for a 46-44 lead the Vikes would never relinquish.

A big half-circle drive from the top of the key led to a layup from Klaczek and 48-44 advantage.

The Vikes then made 7 free throw the rest of the way.

Two were from Klaczek, one of 11 underclassmen on the roster.

"We're a young team and out there with nothing on our shoulders," said Klaczek, a second-team all-tourney selection. "We're just out there to have fun and play. When we are behind, we just say we have more time on the clock and we're going to keep fighting."

"I think every moment is a learning moment for us," Yates added. "I'm really proud for these guys. They weathered some storms. Meadows is really good and scored in bunches. And I thought our kids got the big stops and big scores at the right times and that changed the momentum of the game."

LaBarge finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds while junior Angie Zara and sophomore Olivia Hill each had 4 points.

Zara had one of the longest assists for the Vikes when she grabbed a rebound, dribbled up court a few steps and flung a perfect 50-foot pass to Klaczek, who caught it behind the defense. She converted the layup for a 33-28 lead.

"The big thing for us is the growth of our kids," Yates said. "We talked about attacking the basket. In our first few games, we would have settled for a jumper but now we're starting to play to our strength. I think that is part of a younger team just starting to figure things out, and that's a good sign for us."

There were good signs for the Mustangs, too.

Davis showed her court awareness when she when she made a perfectly-timed drive to the basket as time expired in the first half and made the layup that sent Meadows into the break leading 37-31.

As she did for all five games of the tourney, Melissa Spiwak sparkled again. She scored a game-high 15 points that included a 3-pointer and quick moves to the basket. Junior Lily Greifenstein and Kowalski each chipped in 8 points.

Spiwak and Davis were named to the all-tourney first team. Greifenstein earned second-team honors.

"I thought Melissa Spiwak was tremendous the whole tournament," Kirkorsky said. "It's a pretty safe bet when its Fremd against Meadows, it's going to be a game like this.

"We feel great about our kids. Obviously, it's good to play in these kind of games. We'll learn some things from this. It's frustrating to lose a game like this but the key is learning from it."