Sluggish Huntley upends Cary-Grove
With a 28-5 lead just before halftime, the Huntley Red Raiders appeared on their way to another easy win. Cary-Grove had other ideas.
The Trojans launched a spirited comeback, but couldn't dig out of the early hole as Huntley held on for a 41-32 win in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division boys basketball action in Huntley Tuesday night.
Behind 8 points from Troy Miller, the Raiders (16-2, 5-0) blew out to a 20-3 lead after the first 8 minutes and continued to dominate through much of the second quarter. But when the Trojans switched to man-to-man defense late in the first half, the momentum began to change.
Suddenly, the Trojans were the aggressor and Miller was no longer able to fire up 3-pointers at will. Cary-Grove (4-14, 1-4) improved its offensive execution as well, outscoring the Raiders 23-13 in the second half. But that early deficit was just too much.
"We played absolutely fantastic for one quarter and absolutely terrible for three quarters," said Huntley coach Marty Manning. "I'm extremely disappointed in our effort and execution. A 'W' is not a 'W,' not right now. We didn't play well at all. This is a loss for us."
Miller finished with 15 points for the Raiders. Bryce Only had 8 points and 4 rebounds, and Jake Brock had 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Jake Bianchi had 10 points for Cary-Grove before fouling out while Eric Graham added 7. The Trojans got a lift from their bench, as Ryan Arquette had 6 points and Steve Plazak grabbed 9 rebounds.
The Raiders led 28-5 after Miller's third 3-pointer of the first half. But then the Trojans switched up their defense. Ben Bradshaw and Bianchi each scored a basket to pull the Trojans to within 20 points at halftime. The comeback continued throughout the second half.
"We were more aggressive and we could keep track of Miller a little better," said Cary-Grove coach Ralph Schuetzle. "But it was more of what we weren't doing offensively in the first half."
Graham's 3-pointer capped a 12-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters that got Cary-Grove within 10 points at 41-32 with just over 3 minutes left. Neither team scored again.
Led by Plazak, Cary-Grove dominated the boards with a 24-15 edge, but the Trojans couldn't overcome 15 first-half turnovers.
Huntley was just 1 of 7 from the free-throw line as the teams combined for just 3 made free throws.