Boys basketball: Fox Valley roundup Saturday, Jan. 17
Huntley splits at Wheaton Warrenville South: DJ Cruz nailed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left to give Huntley the lead, and Connor Boesch drew a charge with 1.7 seconds remaining to seal a 54-53 upset of Bartlett in the opening game of the Wheaton Warrenville South Martin Luther King Tournament for both teams.
Boesch finished with a game-high 17 points and sophomore guard Alec Coss came off the bench to score 14 for Huntley, which led 21-8 after the first quarter and 33-24 at the half.
"DJ hit 2 layups but otherwise was 0-for-4 on 3-pointers before he hit that shot," Huntley coach Will Benson said. "We shot the ball better today as a group. We had a bunch of guys step up and shoot collectively better and that helps. It was nice for them to get a positive memory like this."
Jason Hasenberg led Bartlett with 14 points while senior guard Ryan DiCanio contributed 12 points.
Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, the momentum from the win did not carry over into the second game. Finding themselves down by 16 at the half before roaring back, the Raiders fell short 54-48 in the nightcap to Champaign Central. Ismael Flores and Cruz each scored 14 points in the game, with Flores scoring all of his in the second half to lead a Red Raider (5-10) comeback attempt.
"Give credit to the kids for fighting back," Benson said. "We were down big at half and they kept fighting and got it within 3 points in the fourth. (Champaign Central) hit their free-throws down the stretch."
Huntley will face off against Metea Valley at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Burlington Central swept at Sterling: Senior center Ryan Fitzgerald scored 18 points but it wasn't enough to overcome Kankakee in a 48-43 loss at the inaugural Martin Luther King Invite at Sterling.
Central lost a second close decision later in the afternoon to Willowbrook, 55-52. Fitzgerald again led the Rockets with 12 points, supported by 9 points and 10 rebounds from Zach Schutta. The loss was the sixth straight for Central (7-10) and its eighth in nine games. The Rockets conclude tournament play at Sterling on Monday against Dixon at 1 p.m. and Sterling at 6 p.m.
South Elgin loses twice at Rockford Jefferson: South Elgin lost 64-59 to Belvidere in the first game of a doubleheader at the Rockford Jefferson MLK Invite on Saturday despite a 25-point performance from junior guard Matt Smith. Freshman Anthony Lynch added 12 points for the Storm.
In the nightcap the Storm (6-11) dropped another close one, falling 58-52 to the host team. Smith once again led the team on offense, netting 15 points while Anthony Lynch added another 12. Sophomore Logan Atkins finished with a 14 for the night.
"We battled much harder tonight against a good team," Storm coach Matt Petersen said. "We gave ourselves a chance at the end, but we made a couple of little mistakes that turned it."
Streamwood drops a pair: Freshman Brendon Marton scored 11 points and junior guard Jaleel Jenkins added 9, but it wasn't enough for Streamwood in a 66-39 loss to Niles North at the Lake Zurich Martin Luther King Tournament.
Marton, a 6-foot-3 forward, again led the Sabres with 20 points and Phil Cruz contributed 7, but the Sabres dropped a 72-42 decision to Marian Central in the nightcap. Joey O'Halloran, Jake McGlone and Cole Seger each scored 5 points for Streamwood (2-18), which allowed 29 points in the fourth quarter.