Huntley boys hoops gains split with D-C
HUNTLEY — Huntley senior Will Dillon was a determined Red Raider in a Fox Valley Conference game against Dundee-Crown Feb. 14.
Dillon scored 17 points, also had six rebounds and three assists. He tallied an early 3-pointer and a game clinching lay-up, in a 39-34 Huntley win over Dundee-Crown. The final result improved the Red Raiders to 12-16, 7-9 FVC.
“I came into the game with a chip on my shoulder,” Dillon said “I was 0 for 8 in the first game against them and we lost by two points. But this game I had a little height advantage on my man.”
Huntley fell to the Chargers, 34-32 in overtime in Carpentersville Jan. 22, so this one gave Huntley the split.
The home team led by 12 points in the first half, 27-15, but a 12-4 run by D-C closed the gap to one point, 31-30. The Red Raiders executed down the stretch to win it.
Sheldon Aninagyei Bonsu made a 3-pointer for a 34-30 lead. Dillon then scored four points, on a put-back hoop and a layup after he got a pass from Logan Darragh (five points), who caught a pass from Christian Wilson (six points) after Zach Rysavy (five points) had inbounded the ball.
Dillon credited the team’s scouting report and work during the week to ready him for a big night. His maturity has grown as senior year continued, head coach Collin Kalamatas said.
“Dillon used to get very frustrated when things weren’t going right for him,” the coach said. “But he has really improved on the mental game.”
Dillon is a basketball veteran.
“I’ve been playing basketball since kindergarten,” he said.
Dillon will continue with plans to play hoops next season, at nearby McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.
The Class of 2025 hoops players have just two regular season games remaining, against Prairie Ridge Feb. 18 and senior night against McHenry Feb. 21. In addition to Aninagyei Bonsu, Dillon, Rysavy, Wilson, also biding farewell to the HHS gym will be Darragh, Ashua May, Aidan Larson, Connor DeVries and Jayden Bartunek.
“It’ll be a real emotional week, playing our last games here, having dinners before the game,” he said.
The Red Raiders stand in fifth place in the FVC, so a league top spot isn’t in the cards, but want to finish strong. The Red Raiders, the sixth seed, are at third-seed Rockford East for the IHSA Class 4A regional opener Feb. 26.
“We can’t win the conference this year, so we’ll use the next eight quarters to prepare us for Rockford East,” Kalamatas said.
Darragh’s big season
Although the Red Raiders boys basketball team dropped a close game and were dominated by a league leader, one constant this season has been 6-foot, 7-inch Darragh.
Darragh, a senior, contributed games of 13 against Burlington Central and 16 points versus Crystal Lake South. He has been an inside force all season for Huntley, and is drawing interest from college recruiters.
“We knew he would be a good protector of the rim,” Kalamatas said of Darragh. “He has worked hard on his game on offense and has a lot of confidence.”
Following Darragh’s 16 points against the Gators was Rysavy, who made three 3-pointers for nine.
Fall to BC
Huntley put up a battle but Burlington Central pulled out a close 73-70 win in FVC action at the Rockets’ gym Feb. 7.
The Red Raiders were led by Wilson, who scored 23 points. Darragh also reached double digits with 13 points and also had seven rebounds. Dillon, Larson and Noah Cook each added six points.
