Stingy Fremd stops Barrington

In a battle between two of the three teams tied atop the Mid-Suburban West girls basketball standings at 6-1 conference record, visiting Fremd put together a strong defensive effort and came up with just enough offense against equally stingy Barrington for a 31-24 victory on Friday night.

The Fillies were unable to reach double-figure scoring in any quarter, and made just 10 of their 45 shot attempts.

"We take a lot of pride in our defense," Fremd senior forward Gianna Abruzzo, who led the Vikings with 8 points, said. "We work really hard on it in practice. Even after the first half, we were really proud of giving up just 14 points, but we knew we could do better in the second half."

With 3:13 to play in the first half, Fremd had held Barrington to just 7 points, but the Fillies closed with a 7-2 run capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from junior guard Abby Kirchoff (14 points, 9 rebounds) to put the Fillies up 14-12.

"That was a big momentum shift at the end of that half, and our kids stepped right up and went right back at them," Fremd coach Dave Yates said. "That's a sign of these kids this year. Runs like that or that shot, last year would have affected a lot of these guys."

Fremd (18-6, 7-1) responded with an 8-0 run to start the second half to regain a lead it never relinquished.

"This year they believe in each other," Yates said of his players. "And they stepped up and played pretty well."

Barrington (13-8, 6-2) coach Babbi Barreiro said she felt the Fillies' defense took Fremd out of its game, but that they struggled just as much with the Vikings' defensive pressure.

"It was a very good defensive battle," Barreiro said. "I was really proud of our kids tonight. I thought the kids played great defense. We just couldn't get the ball to drop."

Fremd's win sets up a home showdown with Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, where the inside track to MSL West title will be on the line.

"I definitely think it (Friday's win) gives us the momentum going into Tuesday," Abruzzo said. "Knowing that we can beat a great team like Barrington."

Senior guard Taylor Glassmann and freshman guard Ashley McConnell each scored 7 points for the Vikings.