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Rare setback for Fremd

Fremd's girls basketball team suffered its first loss since falling to Benet in the Class 4A state championship game last March.

But suffering a 49-42 setback to Rock Island on Saturday at Lakes High school was hardly anything to be ashamed of.

The Rocks are one of the top teams in the state.

Earlier in the day, the Vikings picked up a 54-34 triumph over Cary-Grove so they now stand at 3-1 in the Lake Zurich Turkey thriller.

"Cary-Grove plays very hard and they are a difficult team to shake," said Fremd coach Dave Yates. "That is a credit to coach (Rod) Saffert and the buy-in he has created in his program."

Against the Trojans, Vikings senior guard Midori Williams (game-high 19 points) connected for 17 points in the first half including five 3-pointers.

Classmate Grace Tworek (16 points) finished with 19 rebounds while Olivia Hill had 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Hayley Williams also contributed 8 points and 3 assists.

"Midori had a huge first half," Yates said. "We have been waiting for her to break out and she did. I really like our ability to stick 3s when we see a zone defense (the Vikings had eight in the game)."

Tworek's big day on the boards was one of the finest rebounding games in school history.

"Grace was a monster on the glass," Yates said. "That is one of the higher rebound totals I have seen in my time at Fremd. The crazy thing is that she played about 21 minutes and got that many rebounds."

Undefeated Rock Island features 6-foot-1 shooting guard Breanna Beal, who ranks among the top five sophomores in the country according to some talent evaluators.

"She is being recruited by every team in the country," said Yates, whose club was playing its third game in 24 hours when it faced Beal (14 points) and Co.

After falling behind 8-2, Fremd trailed 10-7 after one quarter and gained a 23-22 lead at intermission.

"I was very impressed with our ability to respond after they came out knocking down shots," Yates said. "We settled down and started getting some really good looks against their pressure. We made the extra pass and started attacking the basket."

Rock Island battled back for a 3-point lead after three quarters.

Neither team led by more than 3 points in the middle quarters and most of the fourth.

Rock Island took a 41-40 lead with about 1:30 left and followed that up with a 3-pointer from deep in the corner by Christina Carr (game-high 22 points).

Beal then grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back for a 3-point play to give Rock Island a 47-40 advantage with a minute left.

"Rock Island made two big plays to close the game," Yates said. "Credit to them. They are an extremely talented team and I think they are one of the better teams in the state.

"To hold Bre Beal to 14 points is a victory for Fremd. I coached her in AAU and she is one of the best players in the country. There is a reason UConn, Stanford, Louisville and everyone else was in Rock Island this fall to see her. The kid is a beast."

Yates liked how his players controlled the tempo and gave themselves a chance to win.

"I think we ran out of gas and made a few tired mistakes, but I couldn't be prouder of their effort," he said. "This team really showed me something today.

"Rock Island did a nice job limiting Grace's looks. I was very pleased with her teammates stepping up and making some big baskets. Missy Adrian (12 points) had some great takes to the rim and Angie Zara (6 points) provided some big baskets."

Freshman Emily Klaczek had 12 points, giving her three double-digit scoring efforts in four games.

"She is playing way beyond her age level," Yates said. "She is off to a great start in her high school career."

Rolling Meadows 58, Lakes 35: Rolling Meadows improved to 3-0 in the Lake Zurich Turkey Thriller as senior guard Kyra Spiwak led the offense with 20 points and the defense with 5 steals.

Classmates Katherine Nolan added 11 points and Clare Preissing 7.

"Clare Preissing set the tone for us on both ends of the court," said Mustangs coach Ryan Kirkorsky.

Schaumburg 47, St. Viator 40: Mallory Gerber (15 points) and Gina D'Orazio (10) led Schaumburg (1-2 in its own tourney) as Jacqie Storm won her first game as the Saxons coach.

Jenna Breslin had 15 points for St. Viator (0-3).

Hersey 45, Maine South 35: Hersey improved to 2-0 in the Buffalo Grove Bison Classic as senior Claire Gritt (14 points), senior Kelly Weyhrich (11) and junior Erin McGrath (11) reached double figures for the Huskies.

Rich South 39, Barrington 31: Claire Collier (13 points), Tori Meyer (8) and Cecilia Stack (7) were top scorers for Barrington (0-2) in the second round game for the Bison Classic at Buffalo Grove.

"Claire and Tori really had good games, and hit some big buckets for us," said Barrington coach Babbi Barreiro. "And Cecilia Stack really did well on both ends of the floor. It was a good step in the right direction for us. We just have to learn to close."

Palatine 37, Huntley 30: Sydney Rzepka scored 9 points while Reggie Much (two 3-pointers) and Brittany Shapiro each chipped in 6 for Palatine (4-0) which raised its record to 3-0 in the Dundee Crown Thanksgiving Tournament.

Maine West 48, St. Charles North 35: Rachel Kent (19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals), Alisa Fallon (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Catherine Johnson (5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) helped lead Maine West (4-0) to its third win of the Hoffman Estates Tournament.

Wheeling 47, Resurrection 35: Melissa Claver and Shannon Kennedy (three 3-pointers) each scored 16 points to help lead the Wildcats (2-1 overall) to a 2-0 record in the Niles North Tournament in Skokie.

Elk Grove 38, Lake Forest Academy 33: Elk Grove notched its first win of the season as Zoe Blomquist netted a team-high 10 points, including one 3-pointer.

Rachel Kandefer added 9 points and Jenny Banak 8 for the Grens, who are now 1-2 in the Vernon Hills tournament.

Leyden 46, Fenton 34: The Eagles (1-1) notched their first win in the Fenton/ Addison Trail tournament.

Junior Yulissa Perez led Leyden with 12 points followed by classmate Annissa Lemon (8). Senior Artasia Gusman and junior Amalia Figueroa each chipped in 7.

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