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March 4, 2025

Huntley head coach Steve Raethz gives instructions during a timeout against Loyola Academy. The Red Raiders lost the Gurnee (Warren Township) Supersectional game 57-33 March 3 to conclude a 35-1 season.
Steve Peterson
Huntley head coach Steve Raethz gives instructions during a timeout against Loyola Academy. The Red Raiders lost the Gurnee (Warren Township) Supersectional game 57-33 March 3 to conclude a 35-1 season.

Sports • March 4, 2025

Red Raiders dreams stop in Gurnee

By

HUNTLEY — It may take a few days following a rough night at Warren Township High School in Gurnee, but in the not too distant future the positives from a 35-victory season, all consecutively, will soon flow for Huntley’s girls basketball team.

Loyola Academy put an end to the Red Raiders’ perfect season, with a 57-33 dominating win at WTHS. Huntley senior Anna Campanelli ended her prep career as the Class 4A Super-sectional game scoring leader with 18 points, but the Ramblers countered with multiple scorers reach double figures.

“It has been absolutely incredible to have had a season like we did,” Huntley coach Steve Raethz said. “The girls are hurting now, because they wanted so much to continue the season with each other for another week. They worked as hard as they could, and did a good job of working on the task ahead of them day in and day out. They’re all such great kids, on and off the court.

He added, “We were motivated by what happened the last two regional finals (losses). But we came out this year, won Thanksgiving and Christmas tournaments, the Fox Valley Conference, the regional and sectional and set the school record for wins.”

Raethz has been in charge of girls basketball at Huntley for 26 years and has 481 career victories. The 2012-13 squad was the one to make state, but this year’s team was the fourth chance to do so. The last supersectional squad, 2015-16, was 30-4.

“I have been fortunate to have coached here for 26 years,” Raethz said. “We have had players who came in and laid the foundation and this group ranks right up there with them. I’m so proud of them and all of the coaches are grateful to have coached this year’s team.”

After winning two sectional games at HHS for the sectional title, 39-37 over Lake Zurich and 63-50 over Libertyville, the Red Raiders’ fourth sectional title, they were facing a two-loss Loyola Academy (34-2) team which had gained a 27-game win streak. Loyola, defending Class 4A champions, came out firing 3-point swished shots, making 4 of 7, for a 16-7 lead. It grew to 18 points, 30-12, 12 minutes into the game and later more than 20 points.

Huntley’s highlight of the game was a 3-point, banked buzzer-beater at half-court by Campanelli, for a 36-21 halftime deficit.

“The kids felt confident,” the coach said of work prior to Monday. “We thought we had three good days of preparation but we knew the margin for error would be small. We knew they spread the floor well, and could make a 3-pointer from all five positions.”

Behind Campanelli’s efforts, senior Paula Strzelecki was next with seven points.

Campanelli wiped off the immediate disappointment afterward. Headed to Kent State next season, the 1,000-point scorer has joined the elite of Red Raiders’ scorers. Raethz estimated she is in the top five or six overall.

“When I came to varsity, we had a great senior group who took me in under their wing, and I grew as a leader,” Campanelli said. “This season, I think the Maine South game was the epitome of what our team means,” referring to the comeback 49-48 win for the D-C Christmas title.

“If someone is down, we pick them up,” she added.

Senior Ava McFadden, who will attend the University of Iowa, also looked back at 2024-25.

“It was a great team, we’re so close, like a family,” McFadden said. “We had a lot of fun team dinners and loved each other so much.”

Class of 2025 members McFadden, Campanelli, Isabella Boskey, Strzelecki and Madison Diaz also bid farewell at the super-sectional loss.

Boskey, McFadden and Aubrina Adamik (the hero with a 20 points game against Libertyville for the sectional crown) take to the softball diamond March 17 at Mundelein. Others will go into their spring sports or travel basketball Long about then, St. Patrick’s Day, the hoops memories should begin to take out the Monday night sting.

 

Sectional round wins

 

Huntley needed a last-second defensive stop to get past Lake Zurich, 39-37 in the sectional semifinal Feb. 25. Campanelli led with 14 points, while clutch baskets also came from Strzelecki with eight points, Alyssa Borzych and Adamik had six and Luca Garlin added a 3-pointer.

Huntley rode Adamik’s 20 points on six 3-pointers to win their sectional championship, 63-50 over Libertyville Feb. 27. Campanelli followed Adamik with 14 points while Strzelecki added 12 and Garlin had eight.