Dec. 23--The football scholarship to Miami (Ohio) and the new basketball coaching staff weren't enough to keep Ben Kimpler from returning, even after he got the late start he was hoping for.
The Tribune first-team All-State defensive end is still working his way into basketball shape after helping Libertyville's football team reach the Class 7A championship game, but he might finally be just about there.
Libertyville got the hard-nosed battle it expected from Fremd on Tuesday, and Kimpler provided the toughness and stability the Wildcats expect from their veteran leader.
The 6-foot-5 Kimpler's 12 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots and his team's ability to match Fremd's grit allowed Libertyville to pull out a 46-43 victory in the second round of Wheeling's Hardwood Classic.
"He is starting to assert himself," first-year Libertyville coach Brent Mork said. "He is a presence for us that we didn't have. He did a great job on both ends of the floor.
"He is a guy who has won some games. It is a different sport, but he brings that competitiveness into it, and he knows how to win."
The Wildcats (8-3) are 5-1 with Kimpler in the lineup heading into Wednesday's semifinals against the Naperville Central-Deerfield winner.
They led Fremd most of the night but had to withstand a strong second half from Fremd guard Kyle Sliwa, who gave the Vikings one-point leads on three occasions late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.
Fremd (10-3) held high-scoring sophomore Drew Peterson to seven points, but Kimpler and Brandon Rule (13 points) picked up the slack, and Jabari Quigley hit two clutch free throws with four seconds left.
Sliwa then got a clean look at an off-balanced 3 at the buzzer but was just off.
"They (Fremd) are known to fight until the last second, a defensive team," Kimpler said. "Our coaches, credit to them. They gave us a good scout."
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Ben Kimpler, Libertyville, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocked shots.
Key performers: Fremd -- Kyle Sliwa, 17 points. Libertyville -- Brandon Rule, 13 points.
