Fremd's Leonard embraces role as a stopper

Fremd senior Ken Leonard isn't going to show up prominently in box scores with an average of 2.3 points a game.

But Leonard knows his role as the Vikings are making their first trip to the sectional semifinals since 2003. He's been trying to make sure some of the opponents' top offensive threats also don't stand out in those same box scores.

"I haven't been much of an offensive producer," said Leonard, who scored 60 percent of his points Friday on a driving 3-point play that put Fremd ahead to stay in its 44-38 Class 4A regional title win over Lake Forest. "But I always guard a tough guy and do my best to keep him under 10 to 12 points."

Mission accomplished as Lake Forest's Carter Bass finished with 5 points. The mission gets tougher at 7:30 p.m. today at Barrington against top-seeded Warren.

"Each step gets harder so you have to step up the 'D,'" Leonard said.

"Leonard did a great job," said Fremd coach Bob Widlowski. "They had some looks but they didn't have a lot of open looks."

And role-playing teammates such as Leonard and senior Jim Scharfe are why Fremd senior Zach Monaghan wants to keep rolling in the postseason.

Monaghan is going to play at South Dakota State, point guard Quinton Brown will probably play somewhere next year and 6-foot-4, 265-pound Jack Konopka is going to Northwestern to play football.

"That was one of the big things last year that we stressed," Monaghan said of playing for seniors whose organized careers are ending. "We want to keep the other guys going as long as we can."

Even if the state's fourth-ranked Class 4A team in 27-3 Warren is in the way.

"We're ready for whoever comes at us," Monaghan said. "We're not going to give them any more respect than they deserve. Anyone can beat anyone in the playoffs."

Different challenges: Fremd and Warren each have one player averaging in double figures. The difference is the Vikings' Zach Monaghan is at 22.2 points a game and Warren's Darius Paul is around 11 points a game.

"He's one of the best players we've played against this year," Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said of Monaghan. "It's a challenge and we have to play. We'll try to do it as a team and play our defense as a team."

That's an area where Ramsey said the Blue Devils have made progress. They have allowed an average of 43.8 points during their 13-game winning streak.

"At the beginning of the year we were not a good defensive team," Ramsey said. "The last half of the year we've improved and hopefully we have a good one in us (tonight). We have to defend."

Fremd does have Quinton Brown and Jack Konopka averaging just less than 10 points a game. Warren's Jeremiah Jackson and Nathan Boothe are between 9-10 points a game and Brandon Ferguson and Jovaughn Gaines are around 8 points a game.

Dons hope they're back on: After starting the season 15-1, Notre Dame went through a tough 4-5 stretch that included losses to unbeaten Peoria Notre Dame and Benet.

Are the Dons' back on track with a four-game winning streak going into tonight's New Trier sectional semifinal?

"Hopefully we're getting back there," said ND coach Tom Les. "It's a little different for us. My first few years we were always the hunter going after the favored team.

"This season, since Christmas-time, we were one of the favorites and I don't think we responded real well to that."

But Les liked what he saw in an 86-71 win over North Chicago on Feb. 19 and in a 45-37 loss to Benet on Feb. 11. The Dons reversed the loss that started their mini-slide by beating St. Patrick 33-30 for the Conant regional title.

"We did make some plays down the stretch," Les said.

Vikings' two-year plan: Taking only two years to win a regional and tie the school record for wins at 22 under Glenn Olson isn't too bad for Niles North considering the only other regional it ever won was in 2000.

"It's been a big investment by these kids and a huge commitment into this team and this year," said Olson, the former Rolling Meadows star who came to Niles North after a successful stint at Maine East.

It's also created quite a buzz considering 2000 had been the Vikings' only winning season since the 1985 team won 22 games.

"It's been really good for our school to see them get excited about something," Olson said. "It's good for our kids. They had experienced a lot of losing."