Michael O’Brien’s notebook: March 6, 2019

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Fremd’s Kayman Hopkins (33) takes the ball straight to the rim against Fremd, Wednesday 03-06-19. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

Fun night at the Dog Pound. It’s almost always worth the drive up to Waukegan.

Fremd’s season ended tonight, but what a run the Vikings have been on. I’m sure nearly everyone remembers the 2017 team that gave Young all it could handle in the state semifinals. Fremd was 17-13 last season and 22-6 this season and won the Mid-Suburban League.

Bob Widlowski clearly has the program firing on all cylinders. That was all done without some huge influx of high-level talent or a bevy of transfers. I can’t remember the last time I saw a game that Fremd’s wasn’t in, that it didn’t have a chance of winning. That’s amazing.

The Mid-Suburban League has been disrespected pretty badly over the last decade and I’ve certainly played a part in that, moaning about missing the days of Reibel and Mead and Pancratz, etc. But the future is bright in the MSL. Nearly every team in the league seems to have a good young player.

And then there is Fremd, which might not have a dynamic young freshman or sophomore, but will probably end up beating them all the next two years.

Confident, improving Waukegan holds off Fremd: Waukegan’s historic old gym is the perfect setting for high school basketball. The court is a sunken stage, giving the fans the feeling that they are just an arm’s length from the court. It elevates the experience, especially during a jam-packed sectional game. Read the story.

Young recovers from rough start to escape Sam Walsh-led York: For the second consecutive game, the No. 4 Dolphins rallied back from a terrible start and halftime deficit to squeak out a win, beating No. 16 York 58-56 in the Class 4A Proviso West Sectional semifinal Wednesday. Read the story.

Wednesday’s top games

Simeon 48, Marian Catholic 46: Following along on Twitter it appeared the Wolverines were in control for most of the game. Remember when everyone was yelling at me about ranking Simeon with their lousy record? How is that looking now? Kejuan Clements led the Wolverines with 15 points, five steals and five assists and Ahamad Bynum and Antonio Reeves each scored 11.

North Lawndale 61, Westinghouse 49: Demetrius Douglas leads the way with 17 points and six rebounds. The Phoenix didn’t get much attention this season but are now just two wins from Peoria.

Downers Grove North 46, Lake Park 44 OT: Trey Boston scored 20 and Semaj Henderson added 14. The Trojans continue their playoff run. Thanks for making my preseason rankings look good.

Loyola 44, Schaumburg 29: Pretty surprised by this margin of victory. Connor Barrett scored 14. Can the Ramblers hang with Evanston on Friday? It seems unlikely, but who knows. There will be a lot of Livatino in the gym.

Glenbard South 65, Woodstock North 34: Joe Henricksen gave us a little rundown on Glenbard South two weeks ago on No Shot Clock. Looks like that will come in handy. Another 3A Cinderella emerges. Cole Hardtke scored 11.

Normal U-High 72, Hillcrest 60: The Hawks just could not find the gas pedal this season. I didn’t see them over the second half of the season, so I don’t know what exactly went wrong. Plenty of talent returns next season.

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