Fremd extends turnaround by topping Broncos

Since starting the season at 2-6, Fremd has quietly been putting the pieces together.

The Vikings solved another part of the puzzle in a 45-34 Mid-Suburban League West victory at Barrington on Saturday.

The game was tied at 15-15 at halftime, but Fremd (7-8 overall, 3-2 MSL West) used a 7-0 run to start the second half with Barrington committing 4 of its 19 turnovers.

The Vikings' defense then weathered a flurry of Broncos 3-pointers before Fremd put the game away by converting 12 of 17 fourth-quarter free throws.

"We're playing much better basketball," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski, whose team has won 5 out of its last 7. "Our guys have made some tremendous strides in all areas."

Especially on defense, as the Vikings flashed a variety of looks including a man-to-man and match-up zone that helped hold the Broncos to 31 percent shooting (12-for-27).

"It seems like we picked up our intensity," said senior guard Jim Mundt whose team limited Barrington to one inside basket for the second half.

The Vikings' intensity was on full display at the start of the second half as junior forward Will Reising scored inside to start things off.

Senior guard Dan Itami (9 points) converted a steal, and Mundt followed with another steal with Reising splitting a pair of free throws. Dan Bruno (9 points) capped the 7-0 run on a drive giving the Vikings a 22-15 advantage.

"That was a big spurt for us because we wanted to get the ball inside," added Widlowski. "That opened some other things for us."

Barrington (6-11, 1-4) responded with junior guard Chris Howard (10 points) converting on 2 of the Broncos' 4 three-pointers in the third quarter to narrow the deficit to 28-24 with 1:27 remaining in the quarter.

Seconds later, Howard appeared to connect on his third 3-pointer of the quarter but the shot was not allowed after hitting a support beam.

"That would have cut it to 1," said Howard. "Then our momentum went down."

Fremd entered the final quarter nursing a 31-27 lead and the Vikings extended their advantage to 8 points on a pair of free throws by Bruno, followed by a layup by sophomore forward Chris Klimek (game-high 12 points) on a feed from Reising.

The Vikings then sealed the victory from the free throw line.

"We're definitely improving," said Klimek. "We have some young guys, but the seniors have stepped up and we're getting better."