Girls Basketball: Holiday tournament preview

Updated: December 24, 2011 11:51AM

Fremd goes to Dundee-Crown to get good games. They are going to get what they want.

Fremd is just one of several powerhouse teams headed to Carpentersville over the holidays for the 29th Annual Dundee-Crown Charger Classic. Joining the Vikings in the star-studded field will be ­unbeaten Bartlett, Fenwick, Mother McAuley, New Trier and Naperville Central.

But the team that has a lot of people buzzing is Rockton Hononegah. The Indians are 12-0 behind 6-4 Iowa-bound center Nicole Smith and the potent guard combination of Lehigh recruit Elizabeth Jordan and Lindsay Carroll.

“Hononegah is good,” Fremd coach Dave Yates said. “If we’re lucky enough play Hononegah in the second round, it’s easily the toughest second-round game in the tournament. But we go there to get good games. We’re going to get good games. I think we need good games.”

Fremd (9-1) opens with Johnsburg on Monday with the winner likely facing Hononegah on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Other first-round games feature Bartlett against the hosts Monday at 8:30 p.m. and North Shore rivals Regina and New Trier at 1:00 p.m.

Here is a look at some other tournaments in the area:

Hillcrest Holiday Classic

John Maniatis’ Hillcrest Hawks have fallen into the trap twice during his 18-year coaching career.

What trap? A two-games-in-one-day format that could pit his No. 3-ranked Hawks (10-0) against a tough St. Ignatius team in the second of back-to-back games on December 27.

“We lost at the buzzer to Rich South in the second game 10 years ago,” Maniatis recalled. “They made something like 11 threes in that game. When it rains, it pours.”

Hillcrest will try to avoid the thunderstorm and advance to a potential semifinal against Rich Central, and in the other half of the bracket Marist and Homewood-Flossmoor will be favored to meet in a semifinal Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

“Marist has a tremendous tool set,” Maniatis said. “They bring a lot to the table with [JeTaun]Rouse, [Leah] Bolton, [Asiana] Bey and [Randyll] Butler. But you’re looking at any one of the top four teams can walk away with the title.”

Wheaton North Tournament

There should be an investigation if Glenbrook South and Waubonsie Valley don’t find themselves in the finals at 7:30 p.m. on December 29.

“The nice thing about the Wheaton tournament is that we get to play a lot of teams that we ­normally don’t see,” Glenbrook South coach Steve Weissenstein said. “There have been years when half the teams seemed to have 6-1, 7-0 records.

“This year, record-wise the teams might not be as good,” he added. “But there’s a lot of young teams, there’s some good teams in there. Obviously, Waubonsie Valley is the class of the field. They have a couple of Division I players, if not three. They’ll be a tough team to beat.”

Montini Christmas Tournament

The host Broncos and perennial power Marian Catholic will have to avoid a few land mines to meet in the final at 7:45 p.m. on December 30. But Marian Catholic will face the greater challenge emerging from a pool that includes Bogan and St. Joseph.

GIRLS holiday tourney primer

Dundee-Crown

Favorite: Bartlett

No. 1 contender: New Trier

Darkhorse: Rockton Hononegah

Best player: Bartlett’s Haley Videckis

Keep an eye on: Fremd’s Haley Gorecki

Hillcrest

Favorite: Marist

No. 1 contender: Hillcrest

Darkhorse: Homewood-
Flossmoor

Best player: Marist’s JeTaun Rouse

Keep an eye on: H-F’s Candace Hicks

Wheaton North

Favorite: Waubonsie Valley

No. 1 contender: Glenbrook South

Darkhorse: Hersey

Best player: Waubonsie ­Valley’s Tami Morice

Keep an eye on: Hinsdale ­Central’s Gabrielle Rush

Montini

Favorite: Montini

No. 1 contender: Marian Catholic

Darkhorse: St. Joseph

Best player: St. Joseph’s Briya Wilborn

Keep an eye on: Montini’s Sara Ross

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