Vikings just miss upset of Warren

Fremd found itself in position to win against Warren in Saturday's final game of Fremd's Thanksgiving boys basketball tournament.

But the visiting Blue Devils surged ahead on the strength of 8 fourth-quarter points from Brandon Paul and 5 from Jason Warneke and held on for a 45-41 victory and their fourth consecutive championship.

Paul tied the game at 33-33 with a dunk with 5:40 to play and made the critical points down the stretch, a basket with 43.9 seconds left and free throws with 13.2 seconds remaining.

"We're disappointed we lost the game," Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said. "We were in position to win. Our guys gave a very good effort, but we missed some execution that gave them the advantage."

"I felt they were more aggressive on the boards," said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey. "They outrebounded us 24-15. We had 9 defensive rebounds, and they had 10 offensive rebounds. Those are things that have to get better."

The Vikings' matchup zone was effective in the first half, limiting the Blue Devils (3-0) to 7 points in each of the first two quarters. Warren began to crack the code in the second half and was able to get the ball inside at times.

"We weren't attacking it well, so there was no reason for them to get out of it," Ramsey said.

"They run a different type of defense," said Warneke. "After the first half, we got used to it. You've got to move and cut against it."

The Vikings (1-2 for third place in the tournament) led 16-14 at halftime and fought back from a 21-16 deficit in the third quarter to lead 29-26 after three.

Sophomore Charlie Rosenberg scored 4 points and five different Vikings scored in that 13-6 run.

Paul finished with a game-high 16 points, and Taylor Erbach scored 11.

"It was a team effort to locate (Paul) wherever he was on the court," Widlowski said of the Blue Devils' leading scorer, who had 28 Friday against Bartlett.

Widlowski said the game with Warren was great preparation for the upcoming Mid-Suburban League grind.

"I told the kids that's how it's going to be every single game in the MSL," Widlowski said.