Schaumburg believes, notches upset of Fremd

To an outsider, Schaumburg's 70-58 boys basketball 4A regional semifinal victory over third-seeded Fremd on Tuesday would seem like a stunner of huge proportion.

The Saxons, seeded No. 13 in the Waukegan sectional, had lost twice previously to the Mid-Suburban League champion Vikings, who came into the game on a 14-game winning streak.

But ask anyone on the team or coaching staff, and you'll hear the confidence of a team that's hitting its stride.

"We expected to win," Schaumburg coach Matt Walsh said. "We're certainly not content with 2 (post-season) victories, and we're looking forward to getting back to work."

"The team saw the playoffs as a new start, where anyone can win," said senior Declan Geraghty (10 points). "Tonight we prevailed, but we have another game on Friday to prepare for."

"We focused on playing more as a team," said Glenn Frost (13 points off the bench). "We knew what they were going to do. The margin of error was small, and we handled it well."

"We're really playing well together," Walsh said. "We've been playing very unselfish ball, and we believe in one another."

Schaumburg (15-11) will find out today who its Friday opponent will be, when Zion Benton meets Hoffman Estates at 7:30 p.m.

The loss was especially hard for Fremd (24-2), which entered the game without having lost a game since Dec. 23 to Neuqua Valley in the Elgin tournament.

The Vikings trailed 30-26 at halftime and after tying the game at 30 on Chris Klimek's second basket in the first 1:44 of the third quarter, Schaumburg forged a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"I don't think we played as well as in the first two games," Fremd coach Bob Widlowski said. "We didn't play well defensively. We gave up 30 points in the first half."

A 9-1 run to close out the third quarter gave the Saxons a 39-31 lead that grew to 48-37 with 4:36 left.

A 3-point play by Charlie Rosenberg (8 points) cut the lead to 50-45 with 2:56 left, but Joe Infusino made the first of two 3-pointers to pad the margin. Later, Infusino (8 points) made another 3 with 1:26 left to give the Saxons a 60-49 lead.

"We got it down to 50-45," Widlowski said. "Those 3s (by Infusino) were big."

"When we (fast) break, I go to the 3-point line," Infusino said. "Fortunately, they went in. Lately, my shots have been off, but coach said to be confident."

The free throw line became Schaumburg's friend down the stretch. Javon McDonald (team-high 15 points) made 7 of 8 from the line, and Christian Spandiary (14 points) 3 of 5 to go with 3 fourth-quarter baskets.

Schaumburg's unselfish play produced a balanced attack, with McDonald, Spandiary, Frost and Geraghty in double figures and Infusino and Kurt Kempama with 8 each.

Klimek fouled out with 17 points to lead all scorers. Zach Monaghan scored 12, and Quinn Williams added 11 for Fremd.