Fremd delivers defensive tone in win at Palatine

For those who witnessed what Fremd coach Bob Widlowski called his team's best all-around performance Friday night, here's a news flash: they can play better.

At least he'd like to see his Vikings build on Friday's 54-40 win at Palatine, which lifted them to 12-8 overall and kept them alive in the Mid-Suburban West at 5-2. He and his team think they're capable of it.

"I thought we had a very good attitude. We were sound defensively," he said.

Perhaps more than sound. With Nate Serviss clamping down on Palatine scoring leader John Millin and the rest of the team either helping out or crashing the boards and keeping the Pirates from getting second shots, the Vikings were in control all the way, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and coasting to a 25-13 halftime lead.

Palatine shot just 3-of-18 from the floor in the first half, and while the Pirates were missing some good looks and some challenged looks, Fremd was getting a trio of 3-pointers without a miss from Garrett Peters (14 points) and dominance inside from 6-foot-5 center Adam Gorecki (14). Palatine only got the lead under double-digits two more times during the game.

"It was a real complete game. We shared the ball," said Peters, who acknowledged Serviss spearheading the defensive effort. "In practice, we told him he's got to guard (Millin)," and he came through, Peters added.

Despite the seemingly dominant performance, Palatine never let crosstown rival Fremd get too comfortable. The Pirates hung in with their 2-3 zone defense and occasional trapping as De'marius Bailey, Jordan Jarrett, Roosevelt Smart, Austin Marrison and Tom Hauert used their quick hands to force a few turnovers and get some transition buckets. Smart, a freshman, finished with a team-high 13 points. Millin, with Vikings sagging all over him, had just 6.

But the Pirates (2-18, 1-6) gave away several inches position-by-position across the board and were outrebounded 24-17. Ultimately though, it was their inability to hit shots that thwarted them.

"We were getting the same looks as they were getting. They took advantage," Pirates coach Eric Millstone said of the true difference in the game.

"I hope we build upon this and keep going," said Widlowski, who got a balanced scoring effort, including 10 from Riley Glassman and 8 from the defensive-minded Serviss, plus valuable minutes off the bench from Matt Wisniewski and Michael Withey.

"No letdowns tonight," Widlowski noted.

Peters was more specific. "We can still win the (division)," he said as the Vikings host West leader Schaumburg next Friday.