Libertyville dumps Fremd in OT

Maybe it was inevitable that in a game in which Fremd couldn't play harder and Libertyville couldn't play any better that it wound up in overtime.

And in overtime, Libertyville continued playing fairly error-free basketball, hit its free throws and its open looks and came away with a 55-48 win over Fremd in the back end of the fifth-place bracket at the Wheeling Wildcat Hardwood Classic.

For the Wildcats (8-4), who let a 13-point, third-quarter lead slip away, the overtime performance was sweet redemption for tough sledding in a tournament developing into one of the most competitive each holiday season.

"It's one of the best tournaments in the area," said Libertyville coach Bryan Zyrkowski, who had to battle through Elgin, surprising Maine West and Prospect to get to this game. And Fremd is no picnic to play,

"If they get the lead, a 5-point lead is like 20 against them," he stressed. Fortunately, his Wildcats fell behind only twice, the first time when Fremd's Matt Wingen completed a 15-point run for the Vikings with a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter and then a lay in on a pass from Kayman Hopkins.

But the Wildcats refused to let it hold up. High-scorer Patrick Graham (19 points) had a 3-point play on a putback and then a tip-in set up by a Marc Michelotti tough-angle miss on a fastbreak. With that, Libertyville had the lead back for good, or so it thought.

A Matt Wingen 3-point play and a Hopkins 3-point bomb not only put Fremd out front, it appeared to possibly ice it. But Graham came to the rescue with another two free throws, plus two from Blake Ellingson to send it to overtime, tied at 46-46.

"It was a little scary," said Graham, who has a knack for getting open, although he credited screens from teammates for that. "I know our team. Nobody got down," when they fell behind.

In overtime, Jackson Watson's 3 and free throws by Ellingson and Graham gave Libertyville the cushion it needed and Fremd the heartbreak it didn't after difficult losses earlier in the tournament.

"It was a very good effort," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "Our execution was off in the first half. Our defense gave us a chance to get back in the game."

"Just inconsistent shooting for sure," was how athletic point guard Jake Schoffstall (8 points) summed it up, something he's confident they'll fix. "We just have to play as a team, have each other's backs on defense. And I have to be able to score."

"I think our guys kept their poise," or they might have lost the game, Zyrkowski noted, as Wexley, Schoffstall and Hopkins got Fremd back into it.

"There's a lot of good teams in this tournament," said Widlowski.

"If you win your first-round game, you are looking at a tough second-rounder," said Zyrkowski.

Or even a tough fifth-place bracket game.