Boys basketball: Fremd grabs outright MSL West lead by racing past Hoffman Estates
Fremd turned a game that wouldn’t have needed a shot clock into one with a required running clock Friday night.
That’s because the Vikings started getting stops after trading baskets at a frenetic rate for the first 10 minutes with visiting Hoffman Estates.
And Fremd maintained its offensive pace en route to a 30-point lead with 2:14 to play and a 78-51 victory to regain sole possession of first place in the Mid-Suburban West.
“(Daiquan Daniels and Torey Baskin) came out shooting really hot,” said Fremd junior Jordan Williams. “We knew we needed to adjust and stop the momentum.”
Fremd (16-2, 4-1) sustained it with the 6-foot-6 Williams finishing for 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting, facilitating for 5 assists and rebounding for 10 of his team’s 34-17 advantage. Senior Samuel Hirsch was the biggest beneficiary with 20 points on 4-for-5 3-point shooting.
Tommy Moffett (13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists), Rafael Pinto (11 points, 3 rebounds) and Ryan Brown (5 points, 3 assists) aided the Vikings’ rebound from a 72-63 West loss last week at Barrington. They shot 57.5% from the field (27-for-47), 7-for-15 behind the arc and 17-for-19 on free throws.
“We start scoring more as we get more stops,” Hirsch said after scoring 14 second-half points. “It allows us to get rebounds and just go and get out in transition.”
Hoffman (15-6, 1-4) was right with Fremd in transition early as Hirsch said “it was like an AAU game.” Daniels (20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, 3-for-6 on 3s, 6 rebounds) and Baskin (8 points) combined for 16 points in a 23-23 tie just 27 seconds into the second quarter.
But the Hawks couldn’t keep up their torrid 10-for-16 shooting start and finished at 40.8% from the field (20-for-49) and 6-for-21 on 3s.
“We couldn’t get stops and credit them for incredible execution and shooting,” said Hoffman coach Peter McBride. “We struggled to get in a rhythm defensively. They pose a lot of mismatches with their size and ability to shoot and their skill.”
Williams was the biggest mismatch as McBride said Minnesota football recruit Nate Cleveland (6 points, 3 rebounds) wasn’t 100%. Williams had 18 points as Fremd led 41-33 at half and then found Brown, Hirsch and Pinto for 3s in the first 4:19 after intermission to extend the lead to 61-41.
“We had to be aggressive right out of the gate,” Williams said of the second half. “One thing (assistant Jason) Hogrefe said was, ‘Let’s go on a run, make them call a timeout and get the momentum going.’”
It kept going on both ends as Hoffman burned 2 third-quarter timeouts.
“I was more worried about defense,” said Fremd coach Mike Brown. “It was more about getting stops. That was our main focus.”