Huntley 59, Grayslake Central 36
The Huntley girls basketball team was able to get contributions from everyone to defeat Grayslake Central 59-36 on Senior Night in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division in Huntley.
Neither team took very good care of the basketball with each team committing 29 turnovers in the game, but Huntley took an early lead in the first quarter and was able to build on it.
"(The win) means a lot to us because this was our last time to play in front of our families and friends on our home floor," said Huntley senior guard Shannon Callahan. "It got a little sloppy at one point, but we pulled together as a team."
Huntley (17-9, 7-2) trailed 6-4 but went on a 10-3 run to end the opening quarter. The Red Raiders carried that momentum into the second quarter and went up 27-11 at the 4:24 mark behind Callahan, who scored 8 of her 10 points in the quarter.
The Rams (7-17, 4-6) fought their way back to a 9-point deficit with a Katelyn Putkonen 3-point field goal as time expired in the first half.
"We had a 16-point lead at one point (in the first half) and they finished off with a 7-0 run to finish the second quarter out," said Huntley coach Steve Raethz. "I thought defensively we tightened things up and made some adjustments, and offensively we did I nice job extending our lead,"
Huntley senior Daisy Jara dominated the third quarter by scoring 9 of her 11 points and owning the boards. Jara ended the game with game-high 10 rebounds.
"We knew we had to step up, because we didn't want to let them back in the game. We came out and knew the first couple minutes (in the third quarter) were key, so we just kept going at it," said Jara. "I was getting frustrated in the first half because I wasn't getting (the ball) that much. I was just trying to post up as much as possible (in the third quarter) and score.
Jara's big third quarter helped extend the Red Raiders lead to 47-26 to put the game out of reach.
"We got sloppy and (Huntley) plays good defense, so give them credit too. I don't know if it was the long bus ride or the tough game we had last night," said Rams' coach Roger Lass. "That's no excuse. We just turned the ball over too many times and they got a lot of easy baskets. The nine-point lead got up to twenty in a hurry though."
Freshman Katherine Lowery led all scorers with 12 points for Huntley and Putkonen had a team-high 9 points for the Rams.
Boys basketball
N. Chicago 63, Wauconda 57: The host Warhawks completed a 12-0 run through the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division, as Keith Ford scored a game-high 25 points.
Wauconda (10-14, 2-9) was within 4 points in the fourth quarter.
"We played well," Bulldogs coach Rich Wolf said. "Defensively, we forced them into a lot of turnovers in the second quarter, and then just gave it right back."
Connor Dimick and Bryce Lahrman each had 14 points for Wauconda, and Scott Wagl added 12. Dimick, Lahrman and Wahl each hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Kentrall Wilson and Dentri Henning added 15 and 11 points, respectively, for North Chicago.
Lake Zurich 58, Lake Forest 54: The host Bears rallied for their first North Suburban Lake Division win, outscoring the Scouts 15-12 in the fourth quarter.
Connor Mooney led Lake Zurich with 15 points, while Brandon Kunz had 12 and 6 rebounds.