Boys basketball: Fremd holds off Barrington’s comeback
A Pinto got off to a fast start and then closed well against the Broncos Thursday in Barrington.
Fremd’s Rafael Pinto and the Vikings got off to a hot start as Fremd built a big lead and then had to hold on to beat Barrington 68-61 in the MSL West opener for both teams.
It was also a gutsy performance from Fremd’s Jordan Williams.
Just a day after Williams signed his letter of intent to play at Illinois State, he had a bout with the flu and almost didn’t play Thursday. But the senior found his way to the floor and finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds.
“After practice on Wednesday, I wasn’t feeling too well,” Williams said. “I was just in bed all night trying to recover. I know Barrington is going to give us a fight and I knew I had to be here for the team and produce for them.”
Fremd coach Mike Brown was so impressed Williams was able to play.
“It was a game-time decision,” Brown said. “But he really wanted to play. He really showed some toughness and some grittiness.”
Pinto produced early for Fremd. The senior knocked down a trio of 3-pointers less than six minutes into the game to set the tone as Fremd (5-0, 1-0) built an 18-3 lead.
“That kind of start is something we are emphasizing,” said Pinto, who finished with 16 points. “Last season, the stats showed that the first quarter was our worst quarter. Especially today we punched early, and it felt like they had to claw back the entire game and that fast start helped us win the game.”
Fremd continued its onslaught into the second quarter as the Vikings opened a 31-15 advantage on a putback by Tommy Moffett with 4:25 left in the half.
Barrington (3-2, 0-1), which was playing without Jackson Roberts, who injured his wrist in a game last week, then found its legs.
Oliver Gray, who failed to score in the first quarter, began to heat up. He scored 9 of his 21 points in the second quarter as Barrington pulled to a 34-25 deficit at the half.
The game was about a 10-point spread with Fremd leading until the final 92 seconds when the Broncos made a late push with the Vikings leading, 63-51.
With Fremd converting just 4-of-10 from the free-throw line and turning the ball over twice, Barrington came back hard. Barrington went on a 7-0 run as Gray hit a pair of baskets that sandwiched a 3-pointer by Darsh Poovanna as the Broncos cut the lead to 63-58 with 39.6 seconds left.
But Pinto sprinted the Vikings to the finish line with four consecutive free throws to put the game away.
“You know that Barrington is a really good team, especially on their home floor,” Fremd coach Mike Brown said. “They are very dangerous and you know that their run is coming at some point. The start really helped and we did enough to win the game.”
Moffett had 16 points for Fremd while Chase Nelson had 12 points. Barrington’s Evan Shechtman had 13 points while Tommy Hills and Poovanna each had 6 points.
“Our guys impressed the heck out of me with their fight,” Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said. “It says a lot about their character and who they are. A lot of teams would just fold and know it is just their night. But to be looking up under a minute down two possessions is a really big compliment to them.”