Fremd clamps down on Hoffman Estates

It's tough for a team to come back from a14-point first quarter deficit.

Just ask Hoffman Estates.

The visiting Hawks played right with Fremd for the final three periods Friday night, but couldn't overcome a 16-2 first quarter hole.

The Vikings won 35-14 in the Mid-Suburban West boys basketball matchup.

"We played with more desperation in the second half, but Fremd came out with more desperation in the first half," said Hoffman coach Luke Yanule.

"When you're as skilled as they (Fremd) are, and as well coached," added Yanule, "that's going to be the difference in the game."

Junior guard Jake Schoffstall led the Vikings with a game-high 16 points.

"We came out strong and just put it away in the first two quarters," said Schoffstall. "It's always a part of the plan to play as well in the first half as we can."

A Schoffstall 3-pointer saw Fremd open up an early double-digit lead, then a steal by junior Charlie Towns and a pass to classmate Kayman Hopkins for the breakout bucket put the Vikings up 16-2.

Fremd kept the pressure on in the second stanza and led 24-6 at the break.

"We came out with a lot of energy," said Vikings senior guard Dean Ganas. "At halftime we talked about staying locked in defensively. We thought we were going to win the game on the defensive end."

Hoffman senior Sheldon Barnett-Morales tried to lead a second-half Hawks rally by scoring 5 of his team-high 7 points in the third quarter.

"Sheldon is very athletic," said Yanule. "He's a humble kid, he plays hard, and he's a good teammate. We've got to rely on him just like we've got to rely on everybody else."

Hoffman outscored Fremd in the third quarter, but Fremd took control back in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Schoffstall and a couple of free throws by Kayman Hopkins.

The Vikings limited the Hawks to just 1 point in the final stanza.

"Fremd basketball, we pride ourselves on defense," said Kayman Hopkins, who scored 5 points and had 6 rebounds. "Our main goal tonight was to come out and get the job done defensively and that's what we did."

Kayman Hopkins finished with 7 points and 7 boards for the Vikes, senior Bryce Hopkins posted 5 points and 6 rebounds, while teammate Ganas had a first-quarter 3-pointer to key the quick start.

"Defensively in the first half - and the whole game, really - we played very well," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "We lost our rhythm in the third quarter offensively, but overall on defense we were very happy with how we executed the game plan tonight."