Girls basketball: Scouting the Class 4A Hoffman Estates supersectional
Class 4A Hoffman Estates supersectional
No. 2 Fremd (27-4) vs. No. 8 Huntley (28-4)When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
How they got here: Fremd defeated Zion-Benton 55-44 and Libertyville 45-24 to win the Lake Forest regional, then defeated Buffalo Grove 63-47 and Hersey 50-29 to win the Palatine sectional. Huntley downed DeKalb 58-28 and Rockford East 60-15 to win the Huntley regional, then defeated Crystal Lake South 44-40 and Rockford Boylan 37-33 to win the Rockford Guilford sectional.
The coaches: Fremd - Dave Yates, a former St. Edward High School basketball player in his eighth season running the Fremd program, recently became the only person to coach in a Mid-Suburban League championship game six straight years. His Vikings defeated Prospect 52-32 for a third straight title this year, giving Fremd an unprecedented 16 MSL crowns. Huntley - Steve Raethz, a 1994 Hoffman Estates graduate, is in his 16th year at the helm of the Red Raiders' program with a record of 274-193. His teams have won the last two Fox Valley Conference Valley Division championships as well as three-straight regional titles and two of the last three sectionals.
State tournament history: The Vikings advanced to a sectional for the fourth time in the last five years. After making the finals in 2013 and 2014 and falling each time to eventual state runner-up Rolling Meadows, they won their first since Hall of Fame coach Carol Plodzien's 2001 team. In all, Fremd has 20 regional titles and six sectional crowns. Fremd's last and only supersectional victory came in 1977, when it went on to finish fourth under Plodzien in the first state girls basketball tournament. Huntley has now won eight regional titles under Raethz as well as the two sectionals in the past three years. The Red Raiders were fourth in Class 4A in 2013.
Outlook: Fremd is hoping its nearly 40-year absence from Redbird Arena and the state finals comes to an end this year, while Huntley is seeking an upset much along the lines as in 2013 when the Red Raiders knocked off state-ranked Wheaton Warrenville South in the Dundee-Crown supersectional. But Raethz knows his team is in for what is likely its toughest challenge of the season, or most certainly since the Raiders lost to defending Class 3A state champ Montini 63-33 at the Montini Christmas tournament.
"It's going to be an incredibly tough test for us," said Raethz, whose team has won 20 straight since that Montini loss on Dec. 27. "Fremd is a great team with a great tradition and coach Yates does a great job. But we're looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity and we'll be ready to compete."
This game features three Division I recruits - 6-foot Fremd senior guard Haley Gorecki (Duke), Vikings' 6-2 junior guard/forward Bryana Hopkins (Northwestern) and Huntley 6-2 junior center Ali Andrews (Illinois).
Gorecki, one of the leading candidates for Illinois' Ms. Basketball Award, averages 22.8 points per game and has scored well over 2,000 for her career, only the second player in Fremd history to do so.
"Gorecki is probably one of the best players we'll have faced all season," Raethz said. "It will be a tough task to contain her and they have great players around her."
That includes the 6-2 Hopkins (11.3 ppg), Brianna Lewis (5-2 junior guard, 10.4 ppg), Erin Lenahan (5-10 junior guard, 6.1 ppg) and Grace Tworek (6-2 sophomore forward, 7.0 ppg) as well as top reserves Julia Wacker (6-2 junior forward, 4.0 ppg), Emily Bieda (5-7 senior guard), Lauren Glaser (5-4 junior guard), Caroline Macius (5-11 senior forward) and Megan Chernich (5-9 senior guard), among others.
"They're long and they have size and that makes them tough to defend," Raethz said of the Vikings, who have won 10 straight since a 61-54 loss to Benet Academy on Jan. 19 at the McDonald's Shootout. "They've played a difficult schedule and they're very tough at all five positions."
Huntley's success has revolved around the scoring of Andrews, the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,764 career points who has scored in double figures in every game this season and averages 21 per game.
"Obviously, the kid you've got to try and contain is Ali Andrews," Yates said. "I don't think you're ever going to stop her. I coached her in AAU so I know she is a great player. She is as tough a kid as we will face all season."
The Red Raiders also get 10 points per game from 5-4 junior point guard Kayla Barreto, who has 52 3-pointers. Junior Paige Renkosik (4.4 ppg) and 6-0 sophomore Morgan Clausen (6.1 ppg) have continued to develop as the season has gone on and senior Kaitlin Costantino has been the team's defensive specialist. Seniors Kelli Rubino and Jessica Brock and sophomore Madeline Moffett have provided a spark off the bench.
"They play real good defense and it will be a real challenge," Yates said of the Red Raiders, who had to come back from fourth quarter deficits in both their sectional games.
"Our kids were excited to get past the sectional and also for the potential of what's on the horizon," Yates said. "I think we have been pretty consistent offensively and defensively with the things we need to do to be successful."
If experience means anything, Huntley does have three players - Andrews, Barreto and Brock - with supersectional and state experience.
"It helps having Ali, Kayla and Jessica Brock, who had the opportunity to play in a supersectional," Raethz said. "Our kids are prepared and ready to go."
Advancement: The winner of the Hoffman Estates supersectional advances to the 8:15 p.m. state semifinal next Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal against the winner of Monday's Conant supersectional between Geneva and New Trier.