Fremd celebrates tradition, West title

The Fremd's girls basketball program celebrated the rich tradition of its program on Friday night by welcoming back former players and Hall of Fame coach Carol Plodzien.

After many of the past great Vikings were introduced, Plodzien walked onto the floor and received a standing ovation from the large turnout.

"If anyone deserves that, it's Carol (who won 558 games in 34 seasons)," said Dave Yates, the only other person to coach the Vikings girls. "She is Fremd basketball."

And Fremd basketball continued to flourish on Friday night as the Vikings clinched their 15th appearance (12 under Plodzien) in the Mid-Suburban League championship game with a 48-42 win over crosstown rival Palatine.

Fremd improved to 19-4 and 8-0 in the West, three games ahead of second-place Schaumburg (12-12, 5-3) with two to play.

Fremd senior Jessi Wiedemann broke a 41-41 tie when she hit her fourth 3-pointer with 2:36 left in the game.

Moments later, freshman Haley Gorecki (11 points) pulled down a rebound and went coast to coast before getting fouled on a layup. She made both free throws for a 46-41 lead.

"For a kid who is kind of small in stature, Haley is a very good rebounder," said Yates of the 5-foot-10 guard. "She's got a nose for the ball."

After Wiedemann's cousin McKenzie hit a free throw for Palatine with 1:24 left, Jessi Wiedemann made a nice backdoor pass to the cutting Ashley McConnell (10 points), who scored a layup for the game's final points with 55 seconds left.

The Wiedemann cousins spent much of the game defending each other.

"It was fun," said Jessi, who will play for Valparaiso next season. "We used to always talk basketball and play the game a lot together when we were kids so it's fun to do it again."

Both led their team in points Jessi had 16 with 4 3-pointers while McKenzie tossed in 10 points.

"My senior year is winding down and I wanted to make sure I stepped up finished the game," Jessi said. "That 3 by Jessi that put us ahead was gigantic because it was a see-saw game all the way where no one could get a big burst.

"Palatine is our crosstown rival and they should be very proud of how they played. They battled and battled."

The Pirates trailed 24-20 at the break thanks to Jessi Wiedemann's 3-pointer from the top of the key just before the buzzer.

Palatine nudged ahead by 3 points in the final quarter following a 12-foot bank shot by freshman Monica Masini (4 points) and a nice pull-up jumper in the lane by Katelyn Mayer (6 points).

Jessi Wiedemann, though, stepped up with a 3-pointner to tie the game at 39-39.

Palatine took its last lead at 41-39 on McKenzie Wiedemann's driving layup through defenders with 4:10 left.

"That was fun to watch," said Palatine coach Leslie Schock of the Wiedemann match-up. "McKenzie had an amazing performance. Her cousin hit some big 3-pointers but that's what you would expect from a big-time player like her."

Gorecki's 8-footer in the lane tied it at 41-41 before Jessi Wiedemann hit her final 3-pointer.

"Jessi hit some shots," Yates said. "That's what you hope your senior does."

Viking juniors Marilyn Lortz (6 points) and Bernie Williams (3) also contributed to the offense.

Junior guard Nia Pappas (10 points) hit 3 3-pointers, one which helped stake the Pirates to a 7-2 lead.

"It was team effort," Schock said. "We played as hard as we could. I couldn't ask for anything more.

"At this point of the season, we'll look at this as a confidence booster. Now we've got to focus on what we need to do for the rest of the season."

Fremd put the focus on its alumni Friday night.

"It was awesome to see Carol (Plodzien) getting a standing ovation." Yates added. "That wasn't only Fremd people but it was everyone in the gym. And there were some great former basketball players in that gym."

Also in the gym was a sea of orange shirts recognizing Fremd junior Brian Larsen who passed away on Nov. 21, 2011, after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.

It was billed as "Hoops for Hope" night to serve as a joint fundraising effort sponsored by Fremd and Palatine student councils. In Brian's memory, the orange shirts were sold at both schools because of his fondness for the University of Texas.