Fremd decided to leave the first seat on its bench open for each game throughout the season in honor of Dave Yates, who died last June after a bout with brain cancer.
Yates was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, in April 2023. A pillar in the Chicagoland area, Yates was renowned for his commitment to growing girls basketball.
Despite facing a daunting battle, Yates always wanted the attention to be on his team. He wanted to talk about the Vikings’ growth.
“We're playing for Yates,” senior guard Ella Todd said. “He put so much time and effort into us, more than I could even express with words. We have sweatshirts that say ‘Continuing his legacy,’ and that's something we try to live every day; just live up to everything he's built and play for him.”
With that said, let’s get to some takeaways from Saturday's slate of games.
Senior Ella Todd was the player selected for the opening tip. She said it’s the first time in her career that she’s jumping the opening tip. At 6-0, Todd is among the tallest players on Fremd. Seeing a nominal guard jumping for the opening tip was still unusual.
Fremd got off to a slow start against Homewood-Flossmoor, but once the team settled in and started getting open threes off of drives to the paint, they quickly increased its lead.
Todd — a Utah commit— was stellar in Fremd’s 63-42 win over Homewood-Flossmoor. She was the catalyst for the team in the second quarter, scoring 13 of her 21 points.
Senior guard Coco Urlacher also had an impactful performance despite dealing with foul trouble. Urlacher finished with nine points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot. Her tenacity on the defensive end is key to Fremd’s success. She can handle the ball, hit a three and guard multiple positions.
Fremd has the veteran leadership needed to advance far in the state playoffs. Urlacher, Todd and senior guard Ellie Thomspon are captains who played prominent roles on last year’s team, which finished in third place in the IHSA Class 4A State Playoffs.
“It's really important,” Urlacher said. “[Todd, Urlacher and Thompson] take pride in talking to our teammates and giving constructive criticism. We make sure that we're not yelling at each other, but we're also helping our teammates.”
Next up for Fremd is a test with Kenwood on Tuesday at Lake Zurich.
Benet comes at teams in waves. With a multitude of scoring threats at its disposal, the Redwings are hard to scout for because it can be anyone’s night. On Saturday, it was Aria Mazza’s night. The senior guard hit eight threes and finished with 24 points in Benet’s 62-48 win against an impressive Lake Zurich team.
Mazza didn’t hunt threes, all of them were in the flow of the offense. Her release is so quick that it’s hard for defenders to get a quality contest. Benet scored just four points in the third quarter, which allowed Lake Zurich to surge back into the game. But Mazza stepped in the fourth quarter, knocking down three three-pointers to end the run.
Junior guard Bridget Rifenburg also stood out for Benet. She converted countless tough layups and manufactured points by getting to the free-throw line. She finished with 16 points.
Lake Zurch’s comeback fell short against Benet, but Creighton commit Avery Cooper showed why she’s one of the best guards in the area. She scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Cooper can attack off the dribble or from the post. She’s also a deadly three-point shooter.
Inopportune turnovers hurt the Bears. Featuring Cooper more could also be a way to avoid slow starts. The Bears are just 4-3 to start the season, but they’ve lost to Stevenson, Benet and Fremd. They’ve also picked up some quality wins against Mother McAuley and Geneva.
The schedule doesn’t let up for the Bears; they have a matchup against Maine South on Tuesday.
Batavia had a remarkable season last season behind the stellar play of guard Brooke Carlson. This year's team is trying to establish its own identity. Picking up a signature win against Butler is one way to make a mark.
Senior guard Hallie Crane scored 18 points, knocking down three threes.
