Fremd senior Lynell Davis wasn’t satisfied with her play in the Vikings’ 55-51 victory over Joliet Saturday in the first game of the Waubonsie Valley/West Aurora tournament. So Davis spent time practicing on her own Sunday.
The result was 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in No. 6 Fremd’s 61-54 come-from-behind victory over host and No. 5-ranked Waubonsie Valley on Monday.
The Warriors’ Ashley Luke put on a show in the first half in leading Waubonsie to a 29-22 halftime advantage, but Davis–with help from sophomore teammate Maggie Fontana (21 points, 11 rebounds)–led the charge in the second half.
In the middle two quarters, Davis was 10 for 10 from the field and made all four of her free throws. She and Fontana played the high post-low post game to perfection.
“We’re partners on the court,” Davis explained of the forwards’ relationship. “We enjoy passing to each other. It’s natural.”
“We matured overnight,” Fremd coach Carol Plodzien said. “We were much more consistent in the second half tonight than we have been all season.
The lead changed once in the game. After Waubonsie Valley led all of the first half, Fremd took its first lead at 38-36 with 3:43 left in the third quarter on a Davis basket off a feed from Fontana. The Vikings never trailed after that. Waubonsie got as close as 44-42 at the third quarter break, but Davis’ rebound of her own missed shot and subsequent free throw after a foul gave Fremd a 54-47 lead with 2:05 left and all but sealed the deal.
While Fontana and Davis dominiated the second half, the Warriors’ Luke and Leslie Davenport (16 points) highlighted the first. In the first 16 minutes, Waubonsie scored 11 field goals; Luke had a hand in 10 of them with 12 points and seven assists. Her four-point play off of a 25-foot shot and free throw keyed an 8-0 run in the second quarter which broke a 20-20 deadlock.
Although Luke added another 12 in the second half, she had just one assist.
“She’s a great player and a great challenge,” Plodzien said. “Our goal was to make her earn everything tonight and I think we did that.”
In the first game of the night, Joliet got 20 points from Brandi Teamer and 17 from Tiffany Cornelius as the Steelwomen downed Naperville North 58-45.
