Heather Glaser not only said the right thing, she did the right thing for Fremd on Tuesday.
The 5-foot-4-inch guard, the team’s only senior, couldn’t miss in the second quarter and lifted the 20th-ranked Vikings to a 49-38 Class AA sectional victory over visiting Conant.
“I think we’re really playing as a team,” Glaser said. “Everyone is contributing.”
That’s true–but Glaser was among the major contributors to coach Carol Plodzien’s campaign for her 500th career victory. Glaser scored 12 points, eight in the second quarter when Fremd (18-10) outscored Conant 19-7 to take a 30-23 halftime lead.
Glaser nailed consecutive three-pointers, then assisted on a Cathy Mangan layup all in the span of 73 seconds early in the second quarter. That put the Mid-Suburban League champions, seeded sixth in the Elgin sectional, ahead 21-16.
“She’s our senior, our leader, our stabilizing force,” said Plodzien, who picked up victory No. 496. “Heather got us back into our tempo and her outside shooting opened up the middle for us.”
Nicole Rinaldi took advantage of that for a team-high 13 points. She and fellow 6-2 sophomore Ali Ridge each had nine rebounds while Mangan added nine points and five rebounds.
Julie Madura’s 13 points led Conant (14-14), while 6-1 freshman Kathy Gruzynski had her best game, according to coach Kelly O’Connor, with nine points and eight rebounds.
“This was the best we’ve played Fremd,” said the first-year coach, whose Cougars, seeded 11th, were 0-3 against the Vikings this season.
In other Elgin sectional games, Lauren Weber’s 22 points paced No. 12 St. Viator (23-4) to a 67-49 defeat of Wheeling. Kari Embree’s 17 points led Wheeling (12-17). . . . Michele Westerkamp’s 16 points and 13 rebounds led Hersey (17-13) past Lake Park 54-39. . . . Rachel Theodore’s 15 points gave Prospect a 54-37 win over Bartlett.
Alan Sutton.
Thornridge: No. 9 Hillcrest (22-2) downed Rich East 85-34 behind Janelle Hughes’ 25 points. . . . Lincoln-Way East (19-7) flew past Thornton Fractional South 53-23 as Jenna Rubino tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Niles West: No. 10 Regina (24-4) blasted Highland Park 55-13 behind Jenna Markoff’s 13 points. . . . Catherine Moody put in 20 points to go with Natasha Williams’ 12 as No. 14 Niles North (23-6) cruised past Ridgewood 67-25. . . . Akiya Alexander scored 12 points as Evanston (18-10) ran past Niles West 43-27. Heather Hohs’ 15 points led Niles West (11-18). . . . Kristi Cirone’s 20 points led Resurrection (19-10) past Loyola 47-28.
Lyons Township: No. 11 York (23-4) used 18 points from Krystal Hugelier to beat Fenton 65-32. . . . No. 16 Nazareth (21-7) used Jenny Stinich’s 16 points and 15 each from Sarah McNicholas and Shannon Hartney for a 66-42 win over Elmwood Park. Ashley Obrest scored 20 for the Tigers (15-13) in the loss. . . . Molly Coleman scored 13 points for Willowbrook (25-5) in a 58-41 defeat of Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Benet: Jenny Callan led No. 13 Benet (21-8) with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 61-27 win over St. Charles North. . . . Brittany Burger’s 23 points helped Geneva (25-2) pound East Aurora 61-17. . . . Naperville North (15-14) edged West Chicago 48-47 as Lashawndra Brown scored 12 points. Meghan Young paced West Chicago (10-19) with 17.
Lake Zurich: Erin Murtha and Jessica Altieri scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, for No. 18 Stevenson (25-6) in a 72-26 defeat of Wauconda. . . . Ashley Stein scored 15 points, including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, to seal Mundelein’s 55-41 victory over Grant. The Mustangs (21-10) led by only six with 6:30 remaining but embarked on an 11-3 run to take a 51-37 lead with 1:51 left. Rosa Csulits and Claire Glass each scored nine points for Grant (17-12). . . . Caitlin Krombach’s 14 points lifted Carmel (21-5) past Vernon Hills 54-45.
Plainfield: Jessica Jones tallied 13 points and Laura Laurent pitched in with 11 to lift No. 19 Neuqua Valley (25-5) over Lemont 42-35. Catharine Chappell’s 22 points sparked Lemont (9-19). . . . Cassie Hill’s 14 points and Nicky Bormann’s 10 led Romeoville (15-13) past Providence 51-39. . . . Lauren Sick had 17 points and hit five three-pointers to lead Lockport (12-15) to a 51-46 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais. JoAnna VanHovern had 19 points to lead the Boilermakers. . . . The host Wildcats (23-6) downed Rosary 46-31 behind Karin Olson’s 15 points and Heather Furr’s 14.
DeKalb: Julie Strachan’s 16 points and Angie Brown’s 13 led Sycamore (23-4) past Morris 65-52. . . . Jenni Norris scored 16 points as the host Barbs (14-13) beat Dixon 58-41.
Eisenhower: Mother McAuley (20-10) rolled past Shepard 64-37 as Karen Brady netted 14 points. . . . Nora Dinneen scored 17 points while Margaret Gilmartin and Erin McGovern each added 14 as St. Ignatius (19-11) topped Morton 72-50. . . . Tina Hill scored 14 points to help Richards (19-5) defeat Queen of Peace 50-31. . . . Veronica Kristie’s 12 points led Argo to a 46-36 win over Riverside-Brookfield.
McHenry: Amy Morris scored 15 points and Katie Gosnell added 12 as Johnsburg (21-6) defeated Jacobs 56-42. . . . Anna Ashley netted 24 points and Ellen Jaeschke chipped in with 12 as Cary-Grove (23-4) crushed Rockford Auburn 77-35.
Class A sectional semifinals
Burlington Central: Rachel Markham had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Hampshire to a 69-33 rout of Poplar Grove North Boone.
Somonauk: Meghan Voiland had 21 points to lead Yorkville to a 56-51 win over Plano. Kandi Bott had 14 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Reapers.
