Seniors give it their all in home finale

HUNTLEY — A large crowd gathered for Huntley’s senior night to witness the final home game of eight Red Raiders seniors.

They saw a different starting lineup, as seniors Aidan Larson, Connor DeVries, Jayden Bartunek, joined Logan Darragh and Will Dillon. From the opening minute 3-point shot by DeVries, to a just missed 3-point corner shot by Dillon, they took part in a memorable regular season finale. McHenry prevailed, 47-44, in comeback fashion to secure its share of its first Fox Valley Conference championship.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” Red Raiders head coach Collin Kalamatas said. “The seniors were excited for it this week. Bartunek and DeVries made the 3-pointers, and Larson scored on a layup (to start the game). The guys rose to the challenge. It’s a tough job, not playing much but coming out every day and being positive. It was awesome that all eight of our seniors left the court after scoring at least one bucket.”

After the start, then senior captains Sheldon Aninagyei Bonsu, Christian Wilson and Zach Rysavy entered. Dillon reached double digits with 10 points, Wilson had eight points, Aninagyei Bonsu scored six points,, Rysavy added five and Larson two.

Huntley finished the regular season 12-18, 7-11 in the FVC. McHenry was 16-2 in the FVC, but needed this win for their share of the  title. Huntley opens IHSA Regional play at host Rockford East Feb. 26.

The home team held McHenry to 13 first half points as it led 17-13. A hoop by Dillon midway through the third quarter made it a 29-21 margin. Led by just returned from injury Adam Anwar’s 14 points, the Warriors took a 34-32 lead, and held one possession leads until Marko Stojich settled things. After a trey by Dillon tied it at 39-39 with 1:23 left, Stojich scored six straight points for a 45-39 McHenry lead.

Huntley did not go down without a fight on its senior night. Dillon made another 3-pointer for a 47-44 deficit with just 5.7 seconds left. Anwar was fouled and missed two free throws. Darragh got the rebound, threw a pass to Wilson, who found Dillon open. The shot banked off the glass.

“For all but three minutes of the fourth quarter, we were in control of the game,” Kalamatas said. “We put ourselves in a position to win. But they’re a great team to win the FVC championship.”

Afterward, some seniors reflected on their Red Raiders careers.

“We’re a close group, and we’ve played in this basketball progran for a long time,” Dillon said. “This group is super special.”

Dillon likes to look at the big picture.

“We have a lot of guys on the team who are very faithful,” he said. “When God closes one door, He opens another. A 12-18 overall record may not be good, but we’re going into the post-season, when everyone is 0-0.”

The subs’ talents didn’t surprise Dillon, saying DeVries “has always been a shooter, along with Bartunek, while Larson is a grinder. We have four players in our class who could play basketball in college.”

“We wanted to come out with a lot of energy and set the tone,” DeVries said of the final FVC game.

DeVries said he likes to shoot 3-pointers, “from all over.”

“Coming to varsity games was so cool, I loved it,” Larson said of his early days in Huntley youth basketball.

For Rysavy, its quickly on to track and field duties as he competes in the triple and long jump. An indoor meet is on the schedule for Feb. 28 at HHS. Rysavy also played football.

“I usually get one or two days off,” Rysavy said. “There is about one (three-sport athlete) at every school. We all know each other pretty well.”