Fremd asserts MSL dominance in win over Schaumburg
The most dominant Mid-Suburban League girls basketball team when it comes to sectional championships over the 10 seasons put itself in position for another one on Tuesday night.
Playing on its home court in Palatine, MSL champion and top-seeded Fremd defeated MSL West runner-up and No. 4 seed Schaumburg for the third time this season to advance to its own Class 4A sectional title game.
Leading the way in the Vikings' 46-31 triumph was junior Coco Urlacher with 24 points, one shy of her career high.
“Defense was the key, said Urlacher, who also had 11 rebounds and 3 steals. “Last time we played them (66-35 win, we thought it was our best defensive game of the season. So our goal was to transfer that to this game.”
Top-seeded Fremd (27-6) will vie for its fifth sectional crown since 2015 and tenth in program history at 7 p.m. Thursday against No. 2 Stevenson (29-3), a 24-23 winner over No. 3 Hersey (22-10).
The only MSL team with more sectional titles is Buffalo Grove, which won 11 under hall of fame coach Tom Dineen in a span of 18 seasons from 1980 to 2008.
“It's never easy to beat a team three times,” said Fremd hall of fame coach Dave Yates, whose assistant James Haan, a guard on Schaumburg's 2000 state boys basketball championship team, has been a part of three past sectional crowns for Fremd. “I thought we had a game plan, executed it and stayed with it the whole game.
“Schaumburg is a great team and they had a great season,” he said.
“We knew we had to front them the whole game,” said Urlacher of the Vikings' defense.
Ella Todd added 9 points for Fremd while Eshoo had 5 points with 11 rebounds and 2 assists. Ellie Thompson had 3 rebounds, 3 assists while Isabelle Zavilla collected a pair of assists, steals and rebounds.
Urlacher scored 6 of Fremd's first 9 points and a layup by Brynn Eshoo with 1:05 in the first quarter made it 11 — 0.
A big driving layup by Symone Harrell got No. 4 seed Schaumburg on the board but Fremd kept the pressure on and led 25-8 at intermission thanks to back-to-back layups by Urlacher (15 in the first half).
Schaumburg, which held Fremd to a season low for points, was led by senior Jada Branch's 13 points.
Saxons senior Audrey Schluckbier, playing with an ACL tear which will require surgery Feb. 29, hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
“I'm super proud of us,” said Schaumburg coach Jacqie Strauch, who is stepping down from her position after guiding the Saxons to a record-tying 27 wins. “What troopers. We didn't give up any 3-pointers. Defensively, I thought we had a plan and stuck with it. Offensively, we just got started a little too late.”