Offensive struggles plague Fremd in loss at Showcase In The Park

Quinn Harris/For the Sun-Times.

There was a lid on the basket for Fremd.

The Vikings were getting the kind of high-percentage shots teams strive to get, but they couldn’t buy a basket and only two players scored in the first quarter.

The lack of offense was the main culprit in Fremd’s 49-38 loss to Lake Central (Indiana) at Showcase In The Park on Saturday at Kenwood.

‘‘We need to make a layup,’’ Vikings coach Dave Yates said. ‘‘This wasn’t a matter of us not getting the shots we wanted. You have to put the ball in the basket, and they’re too good of a team to miss great looks. It’s that simple.’’

Fremd (9-2) defended well, grabbed 25 rebounds and showed the effort needed to beat a team that is 10-1. But open three-point shots clanked off the rim, and the Vikings couldn’t convert layups.

Events such as the In The Park Showcase serve as a litmus test for teams to evaluate where they are early in the season.

‘‘You come to these tournaments to get tested and learn something about ourselves,’’ Yates said. ‘‘[Lake Central] is a team that played well together, and we can learn from that.’’

Fremd scored only seven points in the second quarter and went scoreless in the first four minutes of the third. The Vikings’ scoring drought enabled the Indians to grab control of the game.

‘‘A lot of the focus coming out of halftime was on the offense,’’ said Fremd junior guard Ella Todd, who scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. ‘‘We got kind of sloppy, turned it over and didn’t come together as a team.’’

But the Vikings made a push at the start of the fourth. They found senior forward Brynn Eshoo, a Portland commit. She scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the fourth and finished with seven rebounds.

Eshoo’s big quarter began with a pull-up jumper from the right elbow. In the first three quarters, she didn’t make much of an impact with her scoring. But a minor adjustment by Fremd started her on her way.

‘‘We got her the ball,’’ Yates said. ‘‘We’ve got to figure out who needs to get the ball when, and we’re still a work in progress along those lines.’’

Quick shots and bad turnovers plagued the Vikings. But once they simplified their offense and started playing through Eshoo, things started flowing.

Still, it proved to be too late.

‘‘Once we started to move the ball, that’s when we got good shots,’’ Eshoo said. ‘‘That needs to be our focus right now and not as much one-on-one basketball.’’

Fremd has lost only twice, the other defeat being a one-point loss to Cardinal Ritter (Missouri).

‘‘Games like this are good because we needed to play a really good team, but they’re also a very beatable team,’’ Todd said.

Todd, a Utah commit, dealt with foul trouble throughout the game and eventually fouled out. Lake Central played physical defense, allowing few easy shots, and the Vikings made only two three-pointers.

Eshoo said Fremd couldn’t find a rhythm because of the quick shots it was taking.

‘‘We need to be tougher,’’ Eshoo said. ‘‘We must come out strong and play together.’’

Yates was fine with the Vikings’ defense but was dismayed by the offensive performance.

‘‘We can’t be in the 30s,’’ he said. ‘‘We have too many talented kids to be in the 30s.’’