Kits Can't Stop Fremd, Suffer First Loss

Lay-up lines are still the best way to warm up for a basketball game at any level, probably dating all the way back to when James Naismith first created the game.

But Fremd probably scored more lay-ups in the game than during the warmups Monday in the championship game of the 37th Chuck Mitchell Thanksgiving tournament hosted by Fenton.

The Vikings shot 58 percent against a defenseless Evanston team, and by one count, 20 of their 28 field goals were lay-ups. Fremd downed the Wildkits 69-55 and captured their first tourney title at Fenton since 2014.

Evanston’s first loss of the season came in a game postponed by last Saturday’s snowstorm and the defending tourney champs didn’t show up on defense. Fremd scored lay-ups on its first three possessions of the game and never looked back as Rafael Pinto netted a game-high 23 points and tournament MVP Jordan Williams added 18 points and 6 rebounds.

Williams, an Illinois State University recruit, scored five key points for the winners to restore order after ETHS finally woke up and cut the deficit to 59-52 with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left in the game.

It was a classic case of too little, too late for head coach Mike Ellis’ team.

“When we’re not at our best is when we’re just out there trying to make shots. We need to focus on the other parts of the game, too,” Ellis pointed out. “We didn’t play with a sense of purpose tonight.

“We lost a lot of individual 1-on-1 matchups. They squared up on every one of our defenders and took it to the paint every time down the floor. They didn’t even have to run an offense. We got schooled.

“We didn’t impose our will at all until it was desperation defense in the fourth quarter. And their No. 2 (point guard Chase Nelson, who finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) made the plays to stop our runs. He was the best quarterback out on the floor. He was more consistent for 32 minutes than anyone we had tonight.”

Evanston fell behind 18-10 by the end of the first quarter and trailed 35-24 at halftime. In that stretch, the Vikings (4-0) only scored 3 buckets outside the paint.

Things didn’t get better in the third quarter for ETHS. Fremd erupted for nine points in the last two minutes, including a 3-point bucket by Pinto with two seconds left that stretched the lead to 54-38.

Back-to-back baskets by Vito Rocca (10 points) gave Wildkit fans some hope, but that was Evanston’s last gasp as the losers didn’t score again until a late 3-pointer by Timi Ogunsanya (12 points). Dion Lane Jr. finished with a game-high 14 points for Evanston.

Both Rocca and Ben Ojala (8 points) were selected to the all-tournament team. Now 3-1, the Wildkits are back on the road this weekend for the Central Suburban League South division opener at Deerfield on Friday. On Saturday, they travel to Waukegan.