Boys Basketball: Libertyville fends off Fremd

Griffin Pils and Libertyville held off Fremd 56-53 Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Hardwood Classic in Wheeling.

Pils, who finished with 16 points, had a three-pointer and a driving layup in the final minutes to secure the victory for the Wildcats (9-2).

“I was trying to counter their moves,” Pils said. “They were trying to pressure me so I would use jab steps and pump fakes the whole game.”

“He (Pils) made some very smart decisions down the stretch,” Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said. “His passing was very composed and at the end, he was able to take some time off the clock. He has a very good basketball IQ.” Libertyville led 30-24 at the half.

Fremd (9-3) slowly creeped back. The Vikings took a 42-41 lead with 7:00 to play on a three-pointer by Garrett Powers.

After two more lead changes, Libertyville took the lead for good on a putback by Ellis Matthews (12 points) to make it 45-44 with 5:51 left.

Fremd closed to 54-53 on a three-point play by Adam Gorecki (20 points) with 1:14 left. The Vikings had a chance to win, but Peters’ three missed from the corner and Libertyville’s Anthony Mack (13 points) hit a pair of free throws to ice the game.

Nate Serviss had eight points and 15 rebounds for Fremd.

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