Crystal Lake S. upends Huntley
The chemistry between sophomores Rachel Rasmussen and Sara Mickow is evident on the court.
Although the Crystal Lake South duo struggled on offense in the first half of the Gators’ Fox Valley Conference Valley Division game at Huntley Wednesday night, their defense was extremely intense.
The offense caught up in the second half as Mickow scored 15 of her game-high 20 points and Rasmussen notched 4 assists in the final 8 minutes to lead the Gators to a 46-36 victory.
“We really trust each other,” said Mickow, who also added 10 rebounds and 6 steals in the win. “We connect and trust each other. We played with a lot more intensity (in the second half).”
After trailing all game long, South (10-13, 3-4) finally took a lead when Mickow converted an old-fashioned 3-point play, giving the Gators a 31-29 lead with 4:51 left in the game.
Huntley (11-9, 5-3) answered back with a layup from Sam Andrews (14 points) to tie the game at 31. Stephanie Melone responded immediately with a 3-pointer off an assist from Rasmussen on the next trip down the floor giving South a 34-31 lead.
Huntley did not retake the lead.
The Red Raiders did come within 38-36 when Andrews converted all 3 free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with 2:20 left. But South closed the game on an 8-0 run.
After shooting 20 percent (3 of 15) from the floor in the first half, the Gators went 66 percent (10 of 15) in the second half. Mickow was 1 of 4 in the first half and then 5 for 6 in the second half.
Melone also added 8 of her 10 points in the fourth quarter including 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. South was 10 of 14 from the foul line in the second half.
“We know Sara can score for us,” South coach Kyle McCaughn said. “We know in order for us to be successful it has to be a team game. Rachel is taking the step from sophomore to junior. She wants to get the ball to people at some key times.”
After breaking a 1-1 tie, Huntley led for the rest of the next three quarters with its defense. The Red Raiders led 18-15 at halftime despite shooting 5-for-22 in the first half. Huntley did turn the ball over 14 times in the first half, and South forced another 8 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Huntley missed its final 6 shots of the game.
“We’re not defending collectively well as a group,” Red Raiders’ coach Steve Raethz said. “We’re 8-2 when we give up under 40 points. We didn’t handle their pressure. We didn’t make adjustments when we needed to.”