Boys basketball: Williams scores 22, helps Fremd outlast Rolling Meadows

Jordan Williams led the way with 22 points and Fremd defeated a pesky Rolling Meadows squad 48-41 in Palatine on Thursday evening.

The Vikings (14-1, 3-1) pulled away late, but it was far from easy in this rematch of last season’s IHSA Class 4A sectional championship game.

Rolling Meadows (10-6, 1-3) closed the first quarter with an 11-point lead and the Mustangs’ well-traveled student section was making life difficult for Fremd coach Mike Brown’s group.

However, Williams found his rhythm with just under three minutes remaining in the half, as he knocked down a three, and then drove to the rim twice, ripping off 7 points in a minute and a half to bring his Vikings roaring back into the game.

“I just really wanted to win for the team,” said Williams, a 3-star forward and Illinois State recruit, as he made his way to the autograph table to sign team pictures for the Fremd Feeder program children who were in attendance.

“Meadows? We haven't beaten them in six years,” added the Fremd senior forward. “And they beat us in the sectional championship. So it's a lot of, you know, get back in that.”

Williams gave the Vikings their first lead of the night after grabbing an offensive rebound and laying it in with 31.2 seconds remaining in the half to briefly make it 21-20, advantage home team.

“Your approach with him is you’ve got to guard with more than one guy,” said Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich.

“Even if you stop the dribble, he's so good with his footwork, and finishes around the rim … he's definitely a tough matchup, and then you throw in his size, and that adds to it as well.”

The Mustangs were able to answer just before the buzzer on a layup by forward Marty Lesner, who scored 13 points on the evening and gave the Vikings fits early on.

“Marty is an incredible competitor. He just loves to compete,” said Katovich. “He'll give you everything he's got, every second he's on the court … Marty kind of sets the tone with that.”

He did exactly that in this Mid-Suburban League crossover matchup. Williams knew he was going to be a handful.

“We did a lot of scouting on him,” said Williams. “He was very physical, gritty and aggressive.”

“Got to stay in front of him. He's a real good driver, good athlete, and an aggressive kid,” added Brown. “So, we wanted to limit his drives to the basket, because that's what he's really good at.”

The teams traded jabs throughout a slugfest of a third quarter, with the lead being exchanged four times during a wild two minute span before Williams stole a Mustangs pass and took it the length of the court to earn himself a pair of free throws that he converted to push the Fremd lead to 29-26.

The Vikings were then able to stretch their legs, as forward Tommy Moffett knocked down a midrange jumper before throwing down a two-handed slam, bringing the home crowd, and the Fremd Feeder program, to its feet to close the quarter with a 35-29 advantage.

“Anytime you get a dunk, it helps,” said Brown. “That was huge for him, and his confidence and everything.”

The lead was pushed to 9 points after Vikings guard Chase Nelson nailed the first of a pair of fourth quarter threes.

“We were just swinging the ball and we were just like, ‘Everyone needs to have confidence to shoot the ball. We need everyone in this game, and you're open’,” said Nelson, who finished with 11 points.

“They kept jumping. So you just had to take advantage of those shots and they fell today,” he added.

Moffett added four successful free throws late, as Rolling Meadows began to foul. He also ended the game with 11 points.

Fremd will put its near-perfect record on the line once again next vs. one-loss Hersey.

“It really is with us one game at a time,” said Brown. “We're not looking far ahead at all. We have a lot of things that we need to work on and get better at. And that starts tomorrow in practice.”

As for Rolling Meadows, the Mustangs will look to rebound against Streamwood this Saturday.