Boys basketball: Fremd gets the message, reaches Hardwood Classic title game
With his team leading by just two points over Glenbrook North in the semifinals of the 45th Wheeling Hardwood Classic on Friday, first-year Fremd coach Mike Brown began to implore his team to rebound.
“No rebounds,” Brown shouted to his team. “No rebounds.”
Brown took the message back to his team in the locker room with the Vikings leading 26-22.
That message got through loud and clear as Fremd came roaring on the glass and in scoring baskets as the Vikings stormed to a 58-39 victory.
“I just reminded them that we needed to rebound the ball,” Brown said. “Glenbrook North did such a good job of boxing out. We just weren’t going for the ball. But we did. A much better job of that in the second half.”
Fremd (12-1), which has now won 11 in a row, will advance to the finals of the Hardwood Classic for the first time since 2018. The Vikings will be looking for their first title since 2013 when they play Deerfield Saturday at 8:45 p.m.
Jordan Williams, who had 8 points and 5 rebounds in just the third quarter, said he and his teammates received the message from Brown.
“We heard coach when we were out in the court,” said Williams, who finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
“And he talked about it at halftime. We heard him and it made a big difference. We started to rebound and got some points too.”
Williams led a huge third quarter onslaught by the Vikings.
Leading 27-23 early in the quarter, Fremd scored the next 13 points with Williams and Samuel Hirsch powering the team. During that span the Vikings outrebounded Glenbrook North 8-2.
“It was key to the play to the game,” Brown said. “We responded at halftime. We got the defensive stops we needed to get and we did the scouting report very well.”
Hisrch knocked a trio of three-pointers in the third quarter to score 11 of his 15 points in the period. Fremd was then able to break the game open with a 46-27 lead after three quarters.
“They just wore us down,” Glenbrook North coach Quin Hayes said. “They are big and they are strong. We gave them a real good fight in the first half. But our kids were just tired.”
Fremd’s Ryan Brown had 11 points while Chase Nelson came off the bench to score 10 for the Vikings, who posted a 24-12 rebounding advantage.
Glenbrook North (8-5), which will play Downers Grove North in the third place game at 7:15 p.m., was led by Jordan Cohen, who had 11 points, and Nate Fridman and Dylan Fleishman, who each had 7 points.