Urlacher scores 25, leads Fremd into Morton semifinals

Name recognition is not an issue for Fremd junior point guard Coco Urlacher.

Her oldest sister, Kace, was a standout player for the Vikings and is currently a freshman forward at IUPUI.

The biggest name in Coco’s family is, of course, her uncle Brian, who was a superstar linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

“It’s really fun to make my (own name),” Coco Urlacher said. “Last year it was always Kace’s little sister. I’m finally my own person, and able to explore and be a captain. I feel a lot older and mature without Kace.”

Coco Urlacher is also taking big strides toward making her own name in the Chicagoland hoops scene.

Thursday’s game against Mother McAuley was the latest example of Coco’s evolving game.

She scored 19 of her game-high 25 points in the first half to lead the Vikings to a 73-59 win over the Mighty Macs in the quarterfinal round of the third annual Morton College Girls Basketball Christmas Tournament.

The Vikings (12-3) moved a step closer toward reaching the title game for the third straight year, holding off the pesky and hot-shooting Mighty Macs to advance to Friday’s semifinal against the winner of Batavia and Butler Prep.

Ella Todd added 21 points and Brynn Eshoo scored all 12 of her points in the final two quarters to offset a sizzling 11 3-point effort by Mother McAuley (8-5).

Urlacher said she had to step up in the first half due to Eshoo, a senior center, picking up two early fouls.

“I felt Brynn carries a lot of our points, so I felt I needed to pick up the slack and go hard and try and finish my layups,” Urlacher said.

Fremd coach Dave Yates said Urlacher sparked his team with her big first half.

“That was as good as an offensive first half I’ve seen from our team in awhile,” Yates said of his team’s 41-point explosion. “Coco played amazing, but across the board we played amazing. Coco has put in a lot of work in and she can play. She does so many little things. She’s a huge piece of us being successful. We’re excited to continue playing.”

Part of a trio of outstanding junior backcourt trio that includes Todd, a Utah recruit, and Ellie Thompson, Urlacher is the engine behind Fremd’s fast-paced attack. Capable of driving the distance of the court with both hands, Urlacher is a powerful and athletic player with a big upside.

Her speed is a key dimension that allows the Vikings to score points in transition, but her rebounding ability is an added bonus. She grabbed two offensive rebounds in the same possession early in the fourth quarter.

Urlacher blew past several Mother McAuley players for a coast-to-coast lay-in with 2:27 left until half, scoring six points late in the half to give the Vikings a 41-24 lead.

Urlacher helped slow down a rally by the Mighty Macs, slicing through several defenders to deliver a bounce pass to Brynn Eshoo under the basket. Eshoo scored on a three-point play to pad Fremd’s lead to 63-53. Urlacher scored on a putback on the next trip down the court to push the lead to 65-55, then Todd followed with a gliding a lay-in off the glass for a 67-55 edge.

Urlacher capped a solid game with two key plays in the final two minutes. She tacked on an offensive rebound and putback basket and then whipped a three-quarters court pass for an assist with 51 seconds left.

“We were told to crash the boards (today) because they were not as tall as most teams we play,” Urlacher said. “I tried to get putbacks and play as hard as possible and get boards.”

Urlacher credited her solid junior season to gaining some confidence, plus picking up her first offer from Eastern Illinois on Dec. 13.

“It feels like I’ve been waiting for that first offer and a lot of pressure was taken off,” Urlacher said. “It feels a big weight off on me, and that makes me really excited for my AAU season.”

Mother McAuley coach Curtis Lewis also heaped praise on Urlacher and the Vikings.

“(Coco) was hard to contain, but we did a better job on her in the second half,” Lewis said. “Her points in the paint killed us. As a team, we’re moving the ball in the right direction. We have to be better on the defensive end. We played Fremd in a tougher game earlier in the year without the shot clock. We just weren’t sound defensively in today’s game.”