Fremd charges into title game
NORMAL - Fremd left little doubt about just how ready it is to play for a state championship.
The Vikings used an 11-0 run early in the first quarter as the springboard to a 57-28 rout of New Trier on Friday night in the Class 4A girls basketball state semifinals at Redbird Arena.
Fremd (29-4), playing in a state final tournament for just the second time and the first since the first girls state tournament in 1977, will play Benet Academy (33-3) for the state championship at 8:15 p.m. Saturday.
Benet defeated Homewood-Flossmoor 77-71 in Friday's first semifinal. Fremd and Benet will each be appearing in their first state title game.
"I couldn't have imagined us going out and having the starts we did in both halves," said Fremd coach Dave Yates. "That's one of the big things we talk to our kids a lot about. Starts matter."
After New Trier's Jackie Welch (12 points) made 2 free throws to give the Trevians (30-2) a 4-3 lead with 6:19 left in the first quarter, Fremd senior Haley Gorecki hit a 14-footer to give the Vikings a 5-4 lead with 4:09 left in the period and the rout was on.
Fremd led 19-6 after one quarter and 29-11 at halftime. The Vikings made 11 of 24 field goal attempts in the first half, including 4 of 10 from 3-point range, while New Trier struggled to a 4-for-19 half (21 percent).
Duke recruit Gorecki scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the first half and junior Brianna Lewis had 8 of her 12 points in the first 16 minutes. Lewis' 3-pointer with 2:40 left in the first made it 10-4 and came in the middle of Fremd's 21-2 run that bridged the first and second quarters and gave the Vikings a 24-6 lead after a Gorecki layup with 3:53 left in the first half.
"There were just some nerves to start but when Brianna made that 3, that got us going," said Gorecki, who also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
With the 18-point halftime lead, Fremd cast aside any hope New Trier had of a second-half comeback when the Vikings opened the second half on a 9-2 run to open up a 38-13 lead after a basket by junior Erin Lenahan with 5:13 left in the third quarter.
Fremd's biggest lead was 31, 57-26, with 1:40 left in the game when senior reserve Emily Bieda (5 points) hit a 3-pointer from the right wing.
The Vikings also played stellar defense, especially on 6-foot-3 New Trier junior Jeannie Boehm, who was not only held scoreless but managed just 3 shots.
"These guys did an amazing job," said Yates, a St. Edward graduate who played on the Green Wave's 1987 state qualifier and was happy to hear his alma mater won a Class 2A boys sectional title Friday night.
"We knew it wasn't going to be a one-person assignment on (Boehm). I thought early on our length bothered them and it continued throughout the game."
"Honestly it was weird," said Boehm. "Every time I got the ball and even when I didn't have the ball, there were just a lot of big bodies there. It was just weird."
Fremd finished shooting 20 of 39, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range, while New Trier managed to make just 11 of 36 field goal attempts. The Trevians also committed 16 turnovers while Fremd had just 9.
"That was a tough one," said New Trier coach Teri Rodgers. "They made some great shots and I thought we got rushed on offense. We didn't make them pay for double- and triple-teaming Jeannie. They did an outstanding job on Jeannie but we got too hurried and didn't show enough patience.
"But that was a great team we played and we wish them the best of luck (Saturday) night."
For Fremd, just playing in the state title game isn't enough.
"We're not where we want to be yet," Gorecki said, "but we're close."