Stay Connected with YourSeason
Boys Basketball: Huntley stays perfect in Fox Valley Valley
Updated: January 29, 2012 12:12AM
Huntley is still the team to beat in the Fox Valley Conference’s Valley Division.
The Red Raiders took a major step toward defending their league title Saturday night by going on the road and cooling off a hot Dundee-Crown team 45-40 in Carpentersville. The outcome gives Huntley sole possession of first place in the division and snaps a streak of six straight wins for the Chargers.
Bryce Only’s 14 points helped jump start the offense for the Raiders, who also got 10 points off the bench from Ryan Craig and 10 points from Justin Frederick. Only added three steals as Huntley (17-2, 6-0) put down the clamps defensively, holding Dundee-Crown (12-7, 5-1) without a three-pointer in the final three quarters after yielding four treys in the first eight minutes.
“D-C is a great team, they’re scrappy and they have great shooters,” Only said. “But if you play team defense and help each other, you’ll be fine.”
Neither team led by more than six points all night, and the Chargers were well within striking distance when Cordero Parson sank a pair of free throws to cut Huntley’s lead to 40-38 with 1:24 left.
The Raiders came up empty on their ensuing trip down the floor when Amanze Egekeze missed two free throws, and D-C’s Brandon Gordon drew an over-the-back foul on Only while grabbing the rebound of the second miss.
The foul sent Gordon to the line, but the big man missed the front end of a one-and-one. The missed opportunity loomed large when Frederick hit a pull-up jumper in the lane to put Huntley ahead 42-38 with 1:08 left as the Chargers came no closer the rest of the way.
Frederick’s close-range shot was typical for Huntley, which didn’t make a three-pointer all night, instead getting most of its points by attacking the basket.
“I think our guys work so hard on the defensive end that they come down on the offensive end and relax,” Huntley coach Marty Manning said. “So we’ve talked about working hard on both ends. I thought tonight we were a lot more aggressive, setting better screens, cutting better and getting to the basket a little bit stronger.
“We only scored 45 points, but I think it was a step in the right direction.”
Egekeze chipped in with eight points, six rebounds, four blocks and three assists for Huntley, which won its 14th straight FVC Valley game.
Dylan Kissack led Dundee-Crown with 11 points. Brandon Rodriguez added 10 points and Will Stupar had eight points for the Chargers, who lost to the Raiders for the second time this season but get at least one more shot when the teams meet Feb. 11 in Huntley.
“We had our chances,” Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber said. “We made shots early and we didn’t make them late. Huntley did a great job and deserved to win.”
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment