Eleven weeks into the season it finally happened, thanks to a big game and a boost from the girls. I’m talking about the first full house for a hoops contest I’ve witnessed this campaign – the first-place Mid-Suburban League West showdown Friday between the Barrington Broncos and the host Fremd Vikings won by the visitors 75-61. In a rare pairing, the boys varsity game preceded the girls contest, meaning that the fairer of the species took center stage at prime time before a larger-than-usual audience. But, as I’ve already pointed out, the boys benefitted as well from the parents, friends and fans of the girls game, who lent their presence and vocal cords to the important contest, giving it the atmosphere it deserved.
Unfortunately for the hoops junkies on hand, only the first half of the game lived up to expectations and there was little in the way of parry-and-thrust competitiveness in the final two quarters. Or crowd noise. Barrington blew the game wide open in the third quarter, out-scoring the Vikings 15-2 and taking a commanding lead that was never really threatened.
The victory, coupled with a loss by Schaumburg that same night, gives the Broncos sole possession of first place in the division with a 6-2 conference record and drops Fremd to 5-3. The teams are both experiencing excellent overall campaigns, with Barrington now at 16-7 and Fremd 15-8.
Another showdown game at Schaumburg awaits the Barrington squad Friday, and the way the Broncos are rolling it would be difficult to pick against coach Bryan Tucker’s team which appears to be on its way to its first division title in two decades. Every time I see Barrington play I’m struck by its depth and balance. Senior Greg Gerrard is the strong-but-subtle leader on a team that features four different players who can smoke an opponent on any given night. On this big stage, Gerrard went toe-to-toe with Fremd star Zach Monaghan, who was harassed into 1-for-9 second-half shooting and held nine points below his scoring average. Meanwhile, Gerrard (10 points) was one of four Barrington players in double figures.
Tyler Weathered, another senior guard, led the way for the Broncos with 16. Sophomore point guard Brad Zaumseil had 14, including a perfect 4-for-4 second half that included back-to-back buckets to ignite the team’s game-changing, third-quarter run. Lukas Osmundsen, a 6-foot-5 center, chipped in with 10. Junior forward John Schneider, the Broncos’ tallest player at 6-7, also contributed on the boards and with 7 points. He’s been huge, both figuratively and literally throughout the season, taking his turn as one of the club’s hot hands when needed.
What I really like about Barrington is that none of the players on the court are reluctant to take their shot when afforded the opportunity, making them a very difficult team to guard. If one of the Broncos gets hot during a game, it’s not something that can be planned for prior to the contest. More likely than not, however, it’s a share-the-load mentality in the scoring column that does in the opposition.
This kind of balance has allowed Barrington to weather a prolonged period where Gerrard was unavailable due to injury and laid claim to a remarkable season free of prolonged losing streaks. Not once this year have the Broncos suffered more than two defeats in a row.
They appear to be playing their best ball of the season, having won nine of their last 10. With four games to go prior to the state tournament, the Broncos appear well on their way to a magical 20-win season. And from there, who knows?
Fremd’s defensive failure frustrating to defending champions
Head coach Bob Widlowski of the Fremd Vikings was visibly distraught following the loss to Barrington, stressing his team’s lack of defensive intensity in a key game to defend its division title of a year ago. “The last time we played them (a 53-41 road win at Barrington) was our best defensive game of the year,” said the coach. “This, on the other hand, was not our best effort, and unfortunately it came at a crucial time. “We’re going to have to shore up our defense as the playoffs approach.”
It’s understandable that the head man was distressed by Barrington’s ability to pile 34 more points onto the 41 they managed in the first meeting of the two teams. But Fremd’s woeful third quarter is also worthy of further examination.
The Vikings put up 12 shots in the frustrating eight-minute stretch and connected on just two. Half of their attempts were from 3-point range, with just one trey connecting. Time and again Fremd settled for long shots, contributing mightily to the game slipping steadily out of reach.
Fremd big man, 6-7 Joe Leaf, had six first-half points but did not even attempt a shot in the second half and spent a lot of time on the bench, either because of ineffectiveness or lack of stamina.
Go-to-guy Zach Monaghan (15 points) could not find the range on his outside jumpers in the second half. Only diminutive point guard Quinton Brown managed to get into the teeth of the Broncos defense, continually penetrating the key on the way to a 15-point second half effort that drew kudos from his coach.
“He’s really stepped up his play, especially as of late,” said Widlowski. Although the mood was understandably down following the Barrington loss, it should be noted that the Vikings, like Barrington, have overcome a lot of adversity this season to post an excellent 15-8 record. They started the season with junior guard Garrett Peters, a point producer, in street clothes thanks to a broken foot and Leaf at less than 100 percent due to a surgically recovering shoulder. And with Peters still out, Leaf and the team’s top player Monaghan were involved in a car accident that kept both out of the lineup for a prolonged stretch. Still, the team endured and kept its head well above water.
All three are back in the lineup, and according to their coach, only Peters is still slightly less than 100 percent. This team will not be an easy out during the state tournament. With Zach Monaghan lighting it up for 25 points, Fremd came back nicely with a 63-60 non-conference road win against a good Dundee-Crown team the following night.
Filling the Lanes: Other noteworthy accomplishments last week
Biggest Wins
Barrington Broncos (16-7, 6-2) over the Fremd Vikings (15-8, 5-3) in Mid-Suburban West showdown. (See above column).
Buffalo Grove Bison (15-8, 5-3) bested first-place Hersey 58-56 in the Mid-Suburban East on a rebound-basket by Dan Recht with less than second left. The win kept the Bison one game back of Hersey and Prospect in the conference race.
Huntley Red Raiders (17-4, 5-1) took out Crystal Lake South Gators (11-9, 1-5) 51-43 in game between two Fox Valley Valley powers, keeping Huntley one game behind Jacobs in the conference race.
Huntley Red Raiders (17-4, 5-1) took out Crystal Lake South Gators (11-9, 1-5) 51-43 in game between two Fox Valley Valley powers, keeping Huntley one game behind Jacobs in the conference race.
Multiple-Win Week
Buffalo Grove Bison: 2-0 for the week with wins against Hersey an Zion-Benton.
Palatine Pirates: A 2-0 for the week for the (9-13) team, with victories against Hoffman Estates and Round Lake. The first win evened the team’s Mid-Suburban West conference record at 4-4. Palatine has now won five of its last seven.
Streaking
Huntley Red Raiders: Five in a row, six of last seven.
Crystal Lake Tigers: Four in a row, seven of last eight.
Buffalo Grove Bison: Winning streak now at three.
Rating the Top Teams on the Hardwood Tour
1. Huntley Red Raiders (17-4) Bested Crystal Lake South team 51-43; showdown with Jacobs Tuesday.
2. Crystal Lake Central Tigers (17-4) Slammed Woodstock North; Grayslake North revenge game Friday.
3. Barrington Broncos (16-7) Major win against Fremd; Schaumburg Friday for virtual division clincher.
4. Fremd Vikings (15-8) Split two last week, but the big one against Barrington got away.
5. Buffalo Grove Bison (15-8) Showed grit with two close wins against two tough opponents.
6. Jacobs Golden Eagles (12-9) Double-overtime loss to West Aurora; first-place on the line Tuesday.
7. Grayslake North Knights (14-5) Grayslake Central, Crystal Lake Central in same week. (up from eighth)
8. Crystal Lake South Gators (11-9) Bowed to mighty Huntley by eight. (down from seventh)
9. Dundee-Crown Chargers (11-9) Split pair, playing well but losing to tough Fremd team.
10. Grayslake Central Rams (11-9) Can they hold off Grayslake North yet again on Monday?
11. Lake Forest Scouts (11-10) Edged Lake Zurich for third North Suburban Lake win of year.
