Rolling Meadows holds off Fremd

It was all about the legs for Rolling Meadows in its 63-53 Mid-Suburban League boys basketball crossover win over visiting Fremd Tuesday.

Daniel Sobkowicz, who has been slowly getting his legs under him after helping lead his team to a semifinal appearance in the state football playoffs, scored a season-high 13 points.

"I am feeling a lot better now," said Sobkowicz, who scored 7 of his points in the fourth quarter. "I wasn't myself at all. It is hard change. The conditioning is so much different."

Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said he is happy to have the junior back playing like he did last season.

"He came late from football which is a still a good problem to have," Katovich said. "He is slowly but surely getting there. The winter break was the first time he has been in basketball shape. Tonight he did a real nice job."

Rolling Meadows (10-4), which broke a modest two-game losing streak, also had its legs under it as the Mustangs converted 22-of-22 free throws, including 12 in the fourth quarter when they were able to pull away.

"This is one of the most intense crossover games I have been involved in a long time," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski, who is in his 19th season. "They were 22-of-22 from the line. You don't see that very often and I have not seen that very often."

Max Christie's legs were just fine as well for the Mustangs. The senior scored 24 points, converting all 12 of his free throws.

"It felt great," said Christie, who had 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 assists and a block. "I am just trying to have fun out there. All that matters to me is that we got the win."

The legs also made a difference for Fremd (8-7). The Vikings lost Kayman Hopkins and Charlie Towns to leg injuries. Towns missed about a quarter while Hopkins was injured then returned, only to be injured again and sat out the second half.

The game had a playoff feel with a large Tuesday night crowd in attendance watching just Meadows' second home game of the season. With the extra energy, both teams didn't disappoint, with five lead changes in the second half.

Fremd (8-7) was able to tie the game at 43-43 on a pair of free throws by Matt Wingen with five minutes to play. Wingen then stole the inbound pass and got a layup to put the Vikings up by two.

Rolling Meadows then rattled off seven consecutive points on a 3-pointer by Jonah Ogunsanya and a pair of free throws each from Sobkowicz and Christie to put the Mustangs up for good with a 52-47 lead.

Fremd closed to 52-49 on free throws by Max Wexley. Sobkowicz then put the game away with a 3-point play and a layup.

"It was a great high school atmosphere," Katovich said. "It was a great game. It was physical and they play great 'D'. It was good for us, especially after losing our last two games."

Fremd was led by Wingen, who had 17 points. Jake Schoffstall had 16 points thanks to four 3-pointers, and Wexley had 10 points.

"It was a possession game all the way," Widlowski said. "We are disappointed we did not come out of here with a win tonight."