Fremd gets 38th in a row in MSL West
Fremd's girls basketball team continued to keep Mid-Suburban West teams in a fog on Friday night.
And the visibility doesn't appear to be clearing soon.
The Vikings ran their record to 6-0 in the West with a 64-26 triumph over visiting Conant, marking their 38th straight league win dating back to a loss to Schaumburg in the eighth game of the 2012-13 season.
Senior Grace Tworek, a four-year starter, now has a personal record of 36-0 in MSL West games.
The 6-foot-2 Harvard recruit had another big night with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
"We really had no answer for Tworek," said Conant coach Deirdre Naughton. "They play such a tough schedule and they can do so many things. They have so many weapons. You try to double down on their posts and they hit from outside. You concentrate outside and they hurt you inside."
Fremd (19-5 overall) leads the West by 3 games over Conant (7-13, 3-3) and Palatine (11-9, 3-3) with four to play.
The Vikings connected for seven 3-pointers Friday, getting two apiece from Tworek and Hayley Williams while Midori Williams, Colleen Kennedy and Angie Zara each had one.
Zara (7 points, 3 steals) hit a 3-pointer that gave Fremd a 14-7 lead after one quarter. Tworek's first 3-pointer made it 21-7 during a second quarter when the hosts outscored the Cougars 18-4.
Hayley Williams had the hot hand in third quarter, scoring 8 of her 10 points as the Vikings pulled away with another 18-4 run.
"Tonight it was definitely composure that helped us," said Hayley, who is 26-0 in conference games while on the varsity. "We had to finish layups, play aggressively and pressure the basketball. We were all playing together as a team."
A team that needs four more wins to complete a fourth straight undefeated season in the West.
"It feels great," Hayley said of the conference winning streak. "It's tradition and we are used to playing at a high level so hopefully we can keep that going. Coach (Dave Yates) always talks about legacy so hopefully our legacy of conference wins stays in tact."
Midori Williams finished with 7 points while senior Natalie Connors, freshman Emily Klaczek and senior Anna LaValle each chipped in 6.
Klaczek also collected 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
"I thought we did a good job finding the open person," Yates said. "That shows a lot of the growth in this group. They're not forcing shots. If Grace doesn't have a decent look, we kick it back outside. I think we are a difficult team to defend."
Conant senior Jorie Wachal is always a tough player to defend as she hit for double figures for the 15th time this season time this season, collecting 15 points.
"We still have a lot of basketball ball to play," Naughton said. "So we are looking forward to getting back to practice and playing again next week."