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Fremd, Notre Dame sent home at halftime due to leaky roof

Fremd's boys basketball team had its own version of a rainout Saturday night.

The Vikings had their game with Norte Dame suspended just after halftime in Niles when leaks developed in the roof just over the basketball court.

"I have been at Fremd for 28 years and I have never seen one canceled at halftime," Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said. "We have had some power outages and other things in the past, but never at halftime."

Fremd was leading 20-15 at the half. As the teams returned to the court after the break, there were towels on the Notre Dame basketball court in at least three different locations as well as one behind one of the baskets.

The game officials conferred with Notre Dame athletic director Mike Hennessy, Widlowski and his coaching staff as well as the Notre Dame coaching staff. After about 10 minutes, the decision was made to suspend the game since Notre Dame has just one gym on its campus.

"I think the referees and the other coaches were very cooperative," Widlowski said. "The were multiple spots on the floor. It started with one small spot. At this point it is the right call, especially since it is a nonconference game."

There is a possibility that the teams could get together at a future date and finish the game. If that were to happen, it would be picked up at the start of the second half.

Fremd (15-4) was able to get the halftime lead thanks to solid defensive play by the Vikings. Fremd had forced 14 first-half turnovers, including 9 in the second quarter. Widlowski credited guard John Smyros' play for forcing Notre Dame (14-8) into mistakes.

"John Smyros' ball pressure in the first half was fantastic," Widlowski said. "He was all over the place and the team followed his lead. We were very pleased with their effort."

Despite the defensive pressure, Fremd only had a 5-point lead. That was due to poor shooting by the Vikings throughout the first quarter and into the second quarter when they hit just 1-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from the free throw line.

Smyros' fellow Evzone, Dean Ganas, came to the rescue for the Vikings on the offensive end. Ganas scored 11 points in the first half as the Vikings erased a 13-6 deficit with a 12 unanswered points.

"I thought our guys did a great job of finding me," Ganas said. "I was able to come off a lot of screens and get open."

Bryce Hopkins also had a strong second quarter with 5 points as well as Charlie Towns, who came off the bench to give Fremd some solid minutes.

"Coach puts us into scenarios like that in practice," said Towns, who scored 3 points and grabbed 2 rebounds after coming in for Kayman Hopkins, who had picked up his second foul.

"When guys get in foul trouble, guys who are on the bench have to step up an do their job. It felt great to be able to come in and contribute."

Widlowski said that he liked how his team responded after playing Friday night.

"I thought Charlie Towns gave us some great minutes," Widlowski said. "We are very pleased with our effort after playing a tough game Friday."

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