Balanced, experienced Fremd holds off Hersey in showdown of Mid-Suburban League West powers

One of the major changes in the area this basketball season is in the Mid-Suburban League.

For decades, the conference was divided into two geographical divisions. The East and West winners played at the end of the season for the best suburban-conference championship in the area. It was a meaningful title game in front of a big crowd every year.

This season, the geographical setup was scrapped and the strongest basketball programs were put in the Mid-Suburban League West. Fans and coaches didn’t like the move, but one positive about the new alignment is that the MSL West teams have a much stronger strength of schedule.

The regular matchups among the three ranked teams in the conference brought a bit more media attention and theoretically will make the teams much stronger in the playoffs.

‘‘I really like the new conference,’’ said Fremd senior Jordan Williams, an Illinois State recruit. ‘‘It is definitely a lot more competitive. Every game is a battle.’’

Williams, a 6-6 guard, helped lead the No. 14 Vikings to a 67-63 victory Tuesday against No. 20 Hersey in Palatine. He finished with 16 points and five assists.

‘‘In the first half, I was able to get to the rim; in the second half, I could tell they made an adjustment,’’ Williams said. ‘‘The defense was really focused on me, so I had to make the right reads and get the team involved.’’

Fremd (15-1, 4-1) led by 12 points with 6:14 left, but Hersey is one of the most dangerous three-point-shooting teams in the area. The Huskies made three threes in a 17-5 run and tied the score at 60 on a three by Charlie Pomis (20 points, eight rebounds) with 2:15 left.

Williams assisted on a three by senior guard Chase Nelson on Fremd’s next possession to put the Vikings ahead for good.

‘‘Even when we were up double digits, we had the mentality that they were going to come back,’’ Williams said. ‘‘They fight hard and are very athletic.’’

Rafael Pinto, a 6-5 senior, led Fremd with 19 points.

‘‘Pinto didn’t care that the three-ball wasn’t going in, and he was doing other things to help our team win, like play defense, get steals and go to the basket,’’ Vikings coach Mike Brown said. ‘‘That was really good for him and his growth.’’

Nelson added 18 points and senior Tommy Moffett 14 points and eight rebounds for Fremd.

‘‘We’ve been playing together for a long time, and we have a lot of leadership and play for each other,’’ Pinto said. ‘‘Everyone has their games when they are on and scoring.’’

Senior guard Logan Luxem scored 16 points for Hersey (14-3, 4-1), and Eli Levya added 12 points off the bench.

Hersey, Fremd and Palatine each have one conference loss.

‘‘You never know what is going to happen, and you are just trying to get better as the season goes on,’’ Brown said. ‘‘But this was a big game for our team.’’

Fremd lost to Rolling Meadows in the sectional final last season. This is basically the same group, and the Vikings have their eyes on several more victories in the playoffs this season.

‘‘We are thinking state,’’ Williams said. ‘‘We were two games away last year, and we are looking to get back to that position and win. Get to state.’’