Bennett's late surge lifts Barrington

For three quarters of Saturday night's 58-46 non-conference boys basketball win over Huntley, Barrington 6-foot-4 junior Mark Bennett was almost non-existent.

With 6:50 left in the game a basket by Bennett helped boost the host Broncos to a 40-39 lead.

“When I made that basket,” Bennett said, “that got me and the team excited. We fed off the crowd.”

Bennett's basket keyed a 13-2 run over a 3:04 span to open up a 53-41 lead. Bennett had 2 free throws and then the final basket in the streak.

Bennett threw in some defense in the fourth quarter with 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.

“I didn't do well in the first part of the game,” said Bennett. “But, we had a lot of balance on the team and that's what makes us successful.”

“Mark went through some battles last year as a sophomore,” said Broncos coach Bryan Tucker. “He's a competitor just like he was on the football field. He came out big on offense and defense down the stdretch.”

Barrington, which improved to 12-6, has won four in a row and six of its last seven games.

John Schneider pitched in and kept the Broncos in the game by scoring 18 points to go with 7 rebounds and a block. Tyler Weathered scored 13 points and Greg Gerrard added 8 points as the Broncos shot 50 percent from the field (20-for-40).

“I thought Barrington was more physical this time than last time we played them at Jacobs,” said Huntley coach Marty Manning of his team's 52-50 win. “We had some good looks down the stretch but we just didn't make the shots.”

Huntley (11-3) hit only 4-of-14 attempts in the fourth quarter and 34 percent (16-of-46) overall.

The Red Raiders took their last lead at 39-38 with 7:10 left in the game on Dylan Neukirch's (9 points) basket.

Tyler Brunschon led Hutley with 13 points. Troy Miller and Justin Frederick each had 9 points.

“We play a team like Barrington,” said Manning, “because it's a good measuring stick for us. It's good for us to play teams like this. We lost to Fremd and we still have a game against Hoffman Estates.”

“I have to admit I was somewhat concerned after coming off of last night's win against Schaumburg,” said Tucker. “The conference games mean so much. But, the players knew that they have a tough job against Huntley tonight.

“That last run in the game was huge for us. We regrouped after they took the lead. We got some good looks and made defensive stops.”