Captains’ leadership helps strong FVC start
HUNTLEY — Basketball coaches often like to say a player has the talent “to be a coach on the floor.”
Huntley senior Sheldon Aniagyei Bonsu made the adage true with a slam dunk as Huntley pulled away from Hampshire for a 60-53 win in Fox Valley Conference play Dec. 6. HHS was 2-4 overall, 2-0 FVC after the victory.
“It’s one of our staple plays, but we originally were going to run it for Christian Wilson,” Huntley coach Collin Kalamatas said. “Then in the huddle, Aniagyei Bonsu suggested we run it for him.”
The end result was a pass from senior Logan Darragh who found Aniagyei Bonsu open from the right baseline for a 51-46 lead with 2:47 left. The basket was part of an 18-8 run for the home team. Aniagyei Bonsu also forced a late game turnover and made four free throws in the final minute on an 18-points night. Wilson was the other main force for the winners, ending with 16 points.
“The dunk gave us huge confidence. I knew then it was over,” Wilson, also a captain, said. “We just had trust in each other.”
“He’s one of our three captains and has great leadership,” Kalamatas said of Aniagyei Bonsu. “He had a great game defensively, holding (Hampshire standout) Ryan Prowicz to zero points in the second half.”
Huntley brushed off a seven-point halftime deficit with that second half defense. To help that cause, the Red Raiders prevailed in points in the paint, 28-20.
Aniagyei Bonsu did not exactly have a perfect night, though.
“I caught my jersey top in the door coming out for warm-ups and it ripped, so I had to wear No. 25 (instead of No. 1),” he said. “Maybe we’ll put that up in the rafters.”
Huntley’s offense was aided by seven points from Ashua Maya and Aidan Larson. Durragh, in addition to his big assist, had five points and six rebounds, including clutch rebounds off Hampshire’s fourth quarter misses. Senior Zach Rysavy, the third captain, added five points.
In the big picture Huntley shook off an 0-4 Palatine tournament with two solid FVC games, as a 50-38 win over Cary-Grove preceded the win over the Whip-Purs. A 21-10 fourth quarter run settled that game, as Huntley was led by Wilson’s 13 points, while Connor DeVries and Will Dillon had nine points each.
The Red Raiders outscored the Trojans 21-10 in the fourth quarter to lead to a 50-36 triumph on Dec. 4, their first of the season in the Fox Valley Conference opener for both teams.
“We had a great fourth quarter that put us past the finish line,” Kalamatas said. “We shot 8-for-12 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. The guys really played hard all game. We turned in our best defensive performance yet. We’re proud of the effort.”
Huntley hosts Jacobs Dec. 11 and is at Crystal Lake Central Dec. 13 in FVC contest.
“Our goals for this season are very simple,” Kalamatas said. “We just want to get better every single day. We are taking a mindset going into this season where we aren’t going to talk about goals like winning this many games or that many championships. That kind of mindset can cloud your vision on what’s going on in the moment. We need to focus on the here and now. Get better at practice today, perform well in your classes, focus on being a good person This is a recipe that will get us to our highest potential with this group.”
