Red Raiders go for.500 in FVC
HUNTLEY— Huntley’s boys basketball team secured a double digits win season and moved closer to .500 in the Fox Valley Conference.
Huntley downed Jacobs, 61-58 Jan. 31, then trounced Crystal Lake Central, 53-26, Feb. 4. The Red Raiders stood at 11-14 overall, 6-7 FVC. Huntley is at Burlington Central Feb. 7 and Crystal Lake South Feb. 11.
The Red Raiders came out firing on all cylinders, to the tune of 11 and then 21 points leads at Jacobs. This was on the strength of 12 3-pointers. Huntley had to hold on for dear life in the final minute.
Senior Christian Wilson made three 3-pointers en route to 22 points, but none of his points were more important than his two swished free throws with six seconds left and the visitors trying to keep a one-point lead.
“Wilson is a captain, a leader out there, and we have all the faith in him,” HHS coach Collin Kalamatas said. “He has a lot of poise, but was a little ill this week.’”
“It was a big win,” Wilson said. “We hope we can build on this win for the rest of the season. After I made the first 3-pointer, we just rode the wave. We shoot a lot in practice – I like to make 3-pointers from the corners.”
Casey Kaczmaryski came through late in the game. After Jacobs cut the deifcit to one point, the junior successfully inbounded the ball three times with less than 10 seconds to go. Due to a lack of fouls, the Golden Eagles had to foul twice before Wilson went to the free-throw line.
“We substituted Kaczymarski for offense,” Kalamatas said. “Casey has a very high basketball IQ and he was able to get the ball inbounds in some tight situations.”
Wilson’s trio of treys was supported by Sheldon Aninagyei-Bonsu, who had a big game with eight points, two treys, six rebounds and three assists. Will Dillon had one trey in a seven-point game, Zach Rysavy added two triples (six points), while Aidan Gibbs (five points) and Kaczymarski had one.
HHS led 29-17 in the second quarter on a trey by Aninagyei Bonsu. One of Wilson’s five two-point baskets gave the visitors a 56-36 lead early in the fourth. But a 22-7 run by the home team nearly pulled out the comeback. The win gave Huntley a season split with the Golden Eagles.
Win over Tigers
Huntley made it a quick night with the 53-26 victory over Crystal Lake Central Feb. 4 here. Noah Cook led with 14 points and five rebounds while Dillon added 12 points and Logan Darragh had 10.
In non-league play, Huntley fell to Barrington 61-29 in a non-conference clash Feb. 1. Darragh led with 11 points and Cook added eight.
