Fremd finds Wiedemann and victory
A strength of Fremd is that when one player gets going offensively, the rest of the team works to get her the ball.
In Friday night's Mid-Suburban West game against visiting Barrington, Jessi Wiedemann was feeling it early on, and the Vikings rode her hot hand to a 66-40 victory over the Broncos.
Fremd (16-3, 5-0) started the game on a 15-0 run and led 18-4 after a quarter of play as Wiedemann scored 13 of her game-high 19 points. The senior knocked down 3 3-pointers in the opening quarter, including one that just beat the buzzer.
"When one of our kids gets going, we do a good job of finding that kid," said Fremd coach Dave Yates. "That helps get everyone else going. We have other kids who are threats but she led the way, and that's what seniors should do."
The rest of the team followed suit.
After Barrington sophomore Angie Kirchoff (team-high 12 points) scored to cut the deficit to 25-9 with 5:11 left in the second quarter, the Vikings went on another 15-0 run to close the half.
Bernie Williams scored the first 5 points of the run while Ashley McConnell also had 5 of her 16 points during the spurt.
Fremd's pressure defense overwhelmed Barrington (7-13, 2-3) as 11 Viking steals were part of 20 first-half turnovers for the Broncos.
"We did a good job of getting into the passing lanes and helping each other," Wiedemann said.
Fremd had no trouble converting on the offensive end, either, shooting a sizzling 64 percent (16-for-25) from the floor before intermission.
"We have been challenging our kids for strong starts," Yates said. "That was one of our better starts for the season. We played excellent defense and knocked down shots. The nice part was that it wasn't four or five minutes, but an entire half of very good basketball."
The Vikings also shared the ball exceptionally as 10 of their 16 first-half baskets were assisted. Freshman Haley Gorecki (10 points) had 4 of those assists in addition to 6 steals.
"If you looked at the scoreboard, when people were in, everyone had points on the board," Wiedemann said.
The Broncos adjusted nicely in the second half, outscoring Fremd 15-10 in the opening 6:25 of the second half and adding a 13-1 run in the fourth quarter.
"They felt like this is not who we are as a team so they wanted to come out and show that, and they did," said Barrington coach Babbi Barreiro of her team's improved play in the second half. "They didn't quit or give up, and that's going to help down the line. But we have to show up for four quarters, and we only showed up for two."
Alexa Resch had 10 points for Barrington while sophomore Brook Gunderson added 7.