Fremd stops Conant

Fremd used a strong defense and solid scoring performances from three players to defeat visiting Conant 32-20 in Mid-Suburban West girls basketball on Friday night.

Junior Gianna Abruzzo, senior Sam Thelin and junior Taylor Glassmann pretty much carried the offense, combining for 28 of the Vikings' 32 points.

The triumph kept the Vikings (16-6, 7-1) tied for first in the West with Hoffman Estates (21-2, 7-1). Fremd closes at Palatine on Tuesday and at Hoffman on Friday.

"I thought Gianna got us off to a great start by attacking the basket," said Fremd coach Dave Yates. "I thought she kind of took over from the start and got us going. And then Sammy stepped up in the third quarter and got some easy buckets."

Sophomore Megan Gray added the other 4 points for Fremd.

The Vikings were able to build a 19-point lead going into the fourth quarter by outscoring the Cougars 12-0 in the third quarter.

"We just came out ready to play in the second half," Thelin said. "We knew that we had a great first half but the second half is what meant the most. We had to keep our mentality, keep together as a team, try to stop our turnovers and just keep scoring and stopping them."

The Cougars (14-9, 4-4) came back to shut out Fremd in the final quarter but couldn't overcome the large deficit.

For just over the final four minutes of the game, Fremd played keep away on offense and did not attempt any field goals.

The Cougars were able to force several turnovers in that four-minute span but just couldn't close the big gap.

"The girls played hard, we always play hard," Conant coach Dan Travers said. "We're just struggling to score. Fremd's improved. They are very skilled and move the ball well."

Emma Loos lead the Cougars with 9 points. Ashley Lindeman had 5 and Lauren Jason had 4 for Conant.