Fremd survives Waukegan in 2 OTs
The Wheeling Hardwood Classic boys basketball tournament has seen many epic battles in its 41 years.
On Thursday at added another.
Fremd's Tim Carlisle buried a 3-point basket nearly two minutes into the second overtime to help the Vikings outlast Waukegan 66-60 in the quarterfinals of the annual holiday tournament in Wheeling.
It was a moment that Carlisle, a reserve senior, had waited for in his whole career.
"I am pretty speechless right now," said Carlisle, who came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points.
"All the hard work I put in during the offseason is starting to pay off. It just makes me real happy."
Fremd (10-2) had rallied from 4 points down in the first overtime to tie on a putback by Kayman Hopkins to tie the game at 54.
In the second overtime, both teams struggled to score in the first two minutes until Carlisle drilled his third 3-pointer of the game from the far right corner.
The Vikings then turned up their defensive pressure on Waukegan, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for another minute. Meanwhile Fremd would add 4 more free throws to lead 61-54.
Waukegan (9-3) which had rallied from 6 points down in the final 42 seconds of regulation, did not have enough left in its tank to force a third overtime.
"That was a tremendous effort by both teams," Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said. "That is one of the best games I have seen at the Hardwood Classic. We are very fortunate to come out on top. I am very proud of effort an determination."
Fremd, which had two of its starting guards in foul trouble in the first half, was lucky to be leading 23-20 at the half. The game then featured five spurts of at least 6 points by each team as the lead changed hands during each of those runs.
Fremd led 50-47 when Waukegan's Andre White Jr. (20 points) hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation to force the first overtime.
"It was a very tough game," said Hopkins, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds. "I think that we did a very good job of battling from start to finish in the game."
Bryce Hopkins had 10 points and 6 rebounds for Fremd while John Smyros had 10 points. Dean Ganas and Max Wexley had 6 points each for the Vikings.
Fremd will face top-seeded Glenbrook South in the 7:15 p.m. semifinal on Friday.