Mid-Suburban League title belongs to Fremd again
Watching last year's Mid-Suburban League championship game at Palatine actually did wonders for the Fremd girls basketball team.
"I remember going to that Palatine gym and having to watch that game (Hersey defeated Palatine)," said Vikings junior forward Olivia Hill. "Everyone was just really upset because we wanted to be in that game."
"Sitting there last year really made us hungry," added classmate Emily Klaczek. "We were like 'OK, we didn't do it this year but we really want it next year.' "
Did they ever.
After missing the game for the first time in nine years, the Vikings were back in it on Wednesday and they made sure everyone knew it.
Playing one of its best games of the season, Fremd's record-setting number of MSL championships extended to 18 with a 51-35 triumph at Rolling Meadows in the 46th annual showcase event.
Hill scored a team-high 15 points, sophomore Ruthie Montella added 10 and Klaczek chipped in 9 to lead eight Vikings who scored for the state's No. 3 ranked Class 4A team (26-4).
The Vikings' Angie Zara, the only senior on the team, opened the scoring a big drive to basket.
That was followed by Montella's running 10-footer, a steal and layup by Klaczek and a rebound layup by Montella for an 8-0 lead that Fremd never relinquished.
"It was nice to see us come out, take control of the game and extend the lead," said Fremd coach Dave Yates, who won his sixth MSL crown from nine attempts in 13 years. "And we kept extending the lead in the third quarter. To be honest, it was probably one of the first time times this season we've done that. We kind of played what we could call a complete game and it's the right time of the season for us to be doing that."
Hill's second of three 3-pointers made it 18-10 late in the first half and the Vikes led 23-13 at the break, thanks to Caroline Cochran's 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
The lead ballooned to 39-22 after three quarters as freshman Brianna Woodridge and Grace LaBarge joined in the offensive scoring. A 3-point play by Ella Burns increased the lead to 49-26 with 5:15 left in the game.
"Offensively, we have a lot of kids who can impact a game," Yates added. " I thought Olivia stuck some big shots, Ruthie really did a nice job, and everyone else chipped in when they needed to. That's probably the best thing about our team - you can't zero in one person. We've got a lot of different kids who can help us win games."
Helping to ignite the Mustangs was senior guard Alexa Davis, who tossed in game-high 17 points.
"I think you saw why she was East Player of the Year," said Mustangs coach Ryan Kirkorsky, whose club is 20-7.
Lily Greifenstein and Alison Sellergren each had 3-pointers for the East champs while teammates Madison Aiello, Elise Kowalski, Kristin Dillon, Moira Hickey and Mallory Brand also contributed baskets.
"I thought Fremd played great," Kirkorsky added. "They did a good job isolating some of the matchups they had against us. In the first half, I thought defensively our kids really followed the game plan. I can live what we gave up in first half (23 points). We just needed to find ways to score. That's a credit to Fremd's defense. I thought they did a great job."
It was Fremd's fifth crown in seven years.
"Their level of talent, their depth and their great inside/outside game is solid," said Kirkorsky, whose Mustangs were the last team to defeat Fremd in a title game (2012) under coach Todd Hatfield. "There is a reason they've been in this games so many years in a row."
Except last year.
"We really worked hard to get back," said Klaczek, the MSL West Player of the Year and three-year starter who won her first MSL crown. "There is lot of pride and a lot of culture thanks to our coaches. It makes it fun in everything we do."
"After last year, this was one of goals - getting into this game," Hill added. "We did that, so it was super exciting. And then we won, so this is awesome."