Girls basketball: Todd leads Fremd past Prospect for 22nd MSL championship
On a very cold night in Mt. Prospect, Fremd’s girls basketball team kept its hot streak rolling in the Mid-Suburban League championship game.
The MSL West champ Vikings, under first-year coach James Han, ran their record to a remarkable 22-4 in the showcase event with a 48-37 triumph over MSL East champ Prospect at the Jean Walker Field House on Thursday night.
And while the Vikings (25-4, 10-0) were winning an unprecedented 22nd MSL crown, it was No. 22 leading the way.
Utah-bound senior and four-year starter Ella Todd poured home a game-high 25 points with more than a handful of rebounds to help lead the Vikings to their third straight conference championship.
A pair of 3-pointers by Gina Falls in the first two minutes followed by a driving 8-footer and 2 free throws by Alli Linke gave Prospect a 10-0 lead. Meanwhile, Fremd missed its first 11 shots.
"Slow starts are something that have happened a few times this season," Todd said. "So we tell ourselves we are fine. We've come back from these more than 10 points. We just have to calm down, play our game, move the ball around and pick up the energy on defense. And I think that's what we did."
The Vikings sure did, scoring 20 unanswered points to lead 20-10 midway through the second period.
A 12-footer by Todd, driving 6-footer by Coco Urlacher (11 points) and 2 free throws by Bella Del Mar got Fremd to within 10-6 after one period.
The Vikes turned up the defensive pressure and kept its momentum in the second quarter completing the 20-0 run when sophomore Gracie Todd hit a 3-pointer with 4:31 left to half.
Fremd outscored Prospect 22-5 in the second quarter to lead 28-15 at half, thanks to a beautiful weaving layup by Todd with two seconds left.
Todd had 10 points in the second period.
"That second quarter was huge for her," Han said. "Obviously, she is a very special player. She can get her own shot and she plays defense. She does it all. I just feel fortunate to coach her."
Han said his team got the stops it needed to make the big run happen.
"After they went up on us, we needed defense and stops," he added. "That's what we rely on in some of these games when we aren't shooting well.
"Our seniors have been through a lot. I'm extremely proud of them. They've put in a lot of work and brought a lot of hardware home in their four years. This is extra special for them."
Prospect got to within 7 points twice in the third quarter, once on Sadie Splinter's driving 8-footer and the second time when Colleen Shute hit a 3-pointer to make it 33-26.
But Fremd then went on an 8-1 run with 4 points apiece from Todd and Urlacher for a 41-29 cushion.
Riley Carroll's 3-pointer got MSL East champ Prospect (24-7, 10-0) to within 41-34 but Fremd junior Greta Thompson answered with a 3-pointer with 2:50 left. Linke's driving 6-footer made it 46-37 before a pair of free throws by Todd sealed it with 37.3 seconds.
Prospect was led by Linke's 12 points followed by Falls (9), and Carroll (6).
"I thought we came out with great energy," said Prospect coach Matt Weber. "We talked about how important it was to start well against a team like Fremd. They did a great job of fighting back which we knew they were going to do. It just took us a little too much time and we built too much of a hole with their pressure and stuff."
Weber said the nice thing is that the Knights will use the game as a learning experience.
"We still have time to work on our weaknesses," said Weber, who had Prospect playing in its seventh title in program history and second in four seasons. "We are excited for next week (hosting its own regional). I thought Riley Carroll did a nice job off the bench. Gina Falls hit some big shots in the first half. We've just got to continue to work and hopefully we'll be able to see them again."
Also scoring a big basket for Fremd during its 20-0 run were Anna Montella with a putback. Urlacher had a big steal and was fouled. Her ensuing free throw with 6:22 left gave Fremd the lead for good at 11-10.
"We've been down before," Han said. "It's honestly just 'Let's not panic, we're fine. We'll work our way back' and that's what we did. We got the stops that we needed to make that happen.
"Obviously, you want to be playing your best at this time. And I feel everyone knows their role on the team all the way down to our bench which really makes it difficult in our practices and a good challenge for our starters. So everyone is all on board, all in. This is the time to be coming together as a team so we're hoping it carries through in the playoffs."
Which the Vikings will go into as 22-time MSL champions.