Fremd’s comeback falls short
It was early-season girls basketball showdown time when No. 2-ranked Loyola faced No. 7 Fremd Tuesday night at the Exam Jamm College Showcase hosted by Lake Zurich.
The one-day, 18-team event was played in three different gyms with the Ramblers trying to run away from the Vikings. A 10-2 run gave Loyola its biggest lead of the game at 41-32 with 6:35 to play.
Five turnovers in the final 5:09 of the contest by the Ramblers almost cost them the game. Fremd (9-3) put together a huge late rally as a reverse layup by junior Coco Urlacher cut the lead to 47-46 with 18 seconds to play.
A free throw by Loyola’s Aubrey Galvan made the score 48-46 with 8.3 seconds left before a 3-pointer by Urlacher under pressure was off the mark at the final buzzer to seal the narrow 48-46 victory for the Ramblers. Galvan and Urlacher (9 rebounds) tied for high-scorer honors with 19 points each.
The Vikings did lead twice in the second quarter, but for the most part undefeated Loyola (10-0) set the tone throughout the game leading 17-13 after one quarter, 28-26 at halftime, and 40-32 after three quarters.
“It was good see our kids battle back from being down to giving themselves a chance to win, and I thought we had multiple opportunities to win that game,” said Fremd coach Dave Yates. “And that’s the road that we need to get to by the end of the year to make those plays to win the game.”
Urlacher scored 10 of her 19 points in the second half while teammate Brynn Eshoo had a strong overall game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Loyola reserve Marycait Mackie had 12 points on four 3-pointers while Fremd’s Ella Todd scored 9 points.
Down 46-44, the Vikings had a crucial turnover with 44 seconds to play which resulted in a free throw by Paige Engels (6 points) boosting the lead to 47-44 with 32.4 seconds left. Loyola’s Clare Weasler had 8 points while Fremd’s Isabelle Zavilla added 6 points.
“Fremd is a very good team. They’re going to try to wear you down, and I thought we really gutted one out here today,” said Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker. “Marycait Mackie had a really nice run for us today. Galvan is a transfer (from Deerfield) who came in. She’s someone who is making sure she gels, but she’s a special kid and obviously had a really good game tonight.”
Yates is optimistic that his team will continue to grow as the long season unfolds.
“I’m pleased with the fight we showed to come back and that is something we’ve been working on,” said Yates. “They (Loyola) are a really good team and when they’re hitting 3’s they’re a really tough matchup.”