Fridman’s 29 too much for Maine South to overcome
Every day at practice Glenbrook North senior guard Josh Fridman brings his hard hat and lunch pail to practice.
Thursday night in Park Ridge, Fridman put in a workmanlike effort scoring a season-high 29 points, dishing out 4 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds in the Spartans’ 67-55 over Maine South.
"I've watched Fridman play for a couple of years," said Maine South coach Colin Wehman. "He's tough as nails. You see a senior who has been through the fires. He's a leader. Tonight he made big-time plays."
The win pushed Glenbrook North record to 10-1 and 4-0 in the Central Suburban South. The host Hawks, who put on a spirited performance, fell to 7-5 and 0-4.
"We're having a lot of fun as a team this year," said Fridman. "We had a loss to Prospect last week that may have been the best thing that happened to us. We learned and we adjusted. We're moving the ball better and playing better defense. That loss put us in our place. I'm happy where we are at but we have so much more to do."
Fridman was the go-to player any time Maine South made runs. Fridman came up with 3-point baskets, assists, steals -- you name it, he did it.
"He put out a great effort tonight," said Glenbrook North coach Quin Hayes. "He's an elite basketball player and I have been saying that for three years. He's had some injuries in the past. He's still not 100%. He's one of our leaders. He's a floor general on the court, a type of player every coach wish they had."
Tied at 11 after the first quarter, Fridman gave the Spartans the spark they needed.
Fridman hit two 3-point baskets and assisted center Patrick Schaller on a layup for a 19-11 lead with 5:40 left in the second quarter.
Fridman hit two free throws and had a putback basket before Sam Lappin’s rebound basket gave the Spartans a 36-23 halftime lead. Lappin finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds.
When Schaller (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) scored off a rebound with 3:58 left in the third quarter, the Spartans had their biggest lead at 48-30.
Tyler Sierra, who led Maine South with 18 points, led a 9-3 run to cut the lead to 51-39.
The Hawks could get no closer than 55-46 following Panayiotis Soto's basket with 5:23 left in the game. Sotos finished with 12 points.
Fridman’s 3-point basket from the right corner iced the game at 64-51 with 2:22 to go.
"We've been right there in every game we've played," said Sierra. "It's just little mistakes that happen. Tonight we didn't rebound well (23-12) but every game we're playing better. We just need to clean some things up."
"We have players who are committed to the program and they love to play," said Wehman. "We're jelling and starting to believe. I'm happy to see that from them. We have some good shooters on this team. If we're not hitting we have to figure out other ways to score."