Girls basketball: Barrington shuts down defending Class 4A state champion Fremd

BARRINGTON – Babbi Barreiro didn’t hesitate.

“This was our best game of the season,” the Barrington girls basketball coach said. “We played well offensively and defensively. Defensively, we got them out of their offensive rhythm. I am very proud of the team.”

Barreiro was ecstatic after watching her Fillies cruise past defending Class 4A champion Fremd, 50-22, in a Mid-Suburban League West game Tuesday night in Barrington.

Barrington, which shared the MSL West championship with Fremd at 9-1, lost to the Vikings, 55-48, earlier in the season. Fremd, though, advances to the MSL title game Saturday afternoon at Hersey based on tiebreakers.

The Fillies’ defense was stifling and impressive.

The defending state champs (10-2 overall) could only connect on 10-of-38 from the field for 26 percent. The Vikings, who committed 22 turnovers, made 1-of-10 from 3-point range.

“We are playing two freshmen and I think we settled down,” Barreiro said. “We played with too many nerves the first time we played them.”

Freshman Mary O’ Riordan, 6-of-8 from the field, scored 15 points including two 3-pointers and had 10 rebounds. Sophomore Sophie Swanson added 15 points and four assists.

“We really worked hard in practice on defense,” Swanson said. “It was our best team game of the season.”

Freshman Gwen Adler and Laura Mahlum added nine points each for the winners.

Holding an 11-4 lead after one quarter, the Fillies seized control of the game in the second quarter.

Scoring the first 14 points of the quarter, Barrington (10-3 overall) extended its first quarter advantage to 25-4 with 3:18 left before intermission. O’Riordan scored five with a 3 while Swanson buried a 3 during the Fillies’ pivotal run.

Fremd scored its only points of the quarter on a 15-footer by Hanna Mahmoud with 2:05 left remaining in the half to make the score 25-6. That was the score after 16 minutes.

In the second quarter, Barrington made 6-of-8 from the floor. The Fillies connected on 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

For the game, Barrington made 18-of-28 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point land.

Ruthie Montella paced the Vikings with eight points.