Huntley toughs out win over Barrington
Had the basketball been a wishbone, Barrington’s John Schneider and Huntley’s Jake Brock could have split it and made a wish.
The two seniors wrestled on the floor for a loose ball two minutes into Saturday’s nonconference game, each hanging on for all his salt. The players even maintained their grips for a few seconds after the referee blew his whistle to signal a held ball, unwilling to give the other an inch.
The tenacity of the sequence foreshadowed the physical nature of the taffy pull that ensued, a defensive battle host Huntley won 38-31 on Senior Night to improve to 24-2.
“This game is right up there with Dundee-Crown as far as the most physical games we’ve played this year,” said Huntley junior Bryce Only, who scored 9 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and made 2 steals. “It’s good because we don’t play many teams in our conference this physical. It’s good preparation for the playoffs.”
Barrington (18-9) couldn’t sink shots with any consistency in the first half, which partly explains why the Broncos trailed 15-11 at halftime. They made only 5 of 22 attempts in the first half, 1 of 12 from 3-point range.
“We had some good looks but they just didn’t go down,” Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said. “In the first half we had two blown, uncontested layups and some other makable shots in the third quarter. Obviously, they are extremely well coached. They’re so good defensively that when you get looks, you have to knock them down.”
The Broncos finished 13 of 49 from the field overall (26.5 percent), 1 of 17 from long range.
“They played defense very, very well,” Huntley coach Marty Manning said of his players. “I think this was one of our best defensive games of the year. In the first half (Barrington) missed some shots and we had some turnovers (9). In the second half I think we limited their shot opportunities.”
Huntley matched Barrington’s 13 field goals, but the Red Raiders shot for a higher percentage (37 percent) in 35 attempts and won the rebounding battle 29-23.
Barrington used a 7-2 run to make it a 1-possession game with 29 seconds remaining. Junior guard Brad Zaumseil (10 points) made Huntley pay for missing the front end of the bonus by splashing a 3-pointer at the other end, which pulled the Broncos within 34-31.
However, Huntley quickly solved Barrington’s full-court press. Only was fouled and sank 2 free throws to extend the lead to 36-31 with 23 seconds left.
After the Broncos missed a bonus free throw, Brock was fouled and accounted for the final margin by hitting 2 free throws with seconds remaining.
Despite being slowed by tendinitis in his right knee, 6-6 sophomore Amanze Egekeze sparked the crowd with a first-quarter, two-handed dunk, courtesy of a perfect alley-oop pass from senior Justin Frederick, who contributed 7 rebounds. Egekeze finished with a team-best 10 points, supported by Miller (8 points) and Brock (7 points, 5 rebounds).
Senior forward Mark Bennett added 6 points and 5 rebounds for Barrington, which hosts Prospect Tuesday.
Fox Valley Conference Valley Division champion Huntley can match last year’s win total of 25 next Friday with a victory in the season-ending FVC crossover game at Fox Division champion Grayslake Central (18-7).