Huntley loses heartbreaker in controversial ending
Huntley worked tirelessly Thursday to overcome Guilford, taking only its second lead with 29.9 seconds remaining on a nifty move and score from junior guard Anna Campanelli.
On defense, the Red Raiders played tough throughout and denied the Vikings from getting off a shot numerous times in the game’s closing moments. The last time, the Raiders forced a five-second inbound violation with 1.4 seconds on the clock.
That’s when things got interesting.
Huntley freshman Lana Hobday secured the ensuing inbounds pass and was fouled with 0.2 seconds left, at which point another Raiders player ran off the bench and onto the court to celebrate.
After discussion, the referees called a technical foul against Huntley. Hobday missed her two free throws from when she was fouled initially, then Vikings senior DeNiya Gary made her two technical foul shots to put the Vikings on top.
The Raiders’ final pass was stolen, and Guilford upset Huntley 33-32 to capture the Class 4A Guilford Regional title. Guilford also beat Huntley in last year’s regional final.
Huntley coach Steve Raethz, who has led the Raiders to 11 regional titles and almost 450 wins, said Thursday’s chaotic ending was a first for him.
“[She] ran out maybe eight, 10 feet on the floor. I haven’t seen a call like that in my 26 years,” Raethz said. “There’s a lot of things in that game that didn’t go our way. Missed shots, turnovers, but through it all I thought we showed a lot of resolve and fight to put us in a position to win the game.
“I’m so proud of our players and how they got the stops we needed. It’s just an unfortunate way to end the game.”
Guilford coach Michael Jamerson said it was an easy choice to send Gary to the line after she shot 85% from the free throw line during the regular season.
Gary, who had a team-high 10 points and made 6 of 7 free throws, was well prepared for the moment.
“Crazy,” Gary said. “We literally practice these moments and when it came I knew I was prepared, even though I was nervous. I knew I could do it because we practice these moments every single day. ... We just had to stay composed and we did.”
Jamerson was proud of his team for never giving up.
“Energy was high and Huntley had the momentum,” Jamerson said. “When she ran onto the floor, I think she thought the clock ran out. When the [technical foul] came, I knew I had a great chance at probably taking the lead by putting Deniya Gray at the line. She’s clutch, a four-year varsity kid.
“I have a lot of respect for [Raethz] and what he does and what he teaches. That’s a [heck] of a program.”
Campanelli led the Raiders with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Junior forward Paula Strzelecki added 12 points and 12 rebounds, and junior Ava McFadden tossed in four points and had three assists.
Huntley took its first lead of the game on a 3 from freshman Alyssa Borzych with 30 seconds left in the third quarter. Huntley held Guilford to only three points in the third.
Campanelli felt the Raiders grew closer throughout the season.
“We had a lot of new girls step up this year,” Campanelli said. “They’ve done a lot, and next year will be fun to have that experience back. We knew we had to get stops and I feel like we did a good job of that. It’s just an unfortunate ending, but we did what we had to do.”
The Raiders graduate five seniors, including Cassidy Serpe, Yasmine Morsy, Mia Garlin, Elizabeth Johnson and Kylie Lucas. Huntley won its third consecutive Fox Valley Conference championship, going 17-1. The Raiders had a 37-FVC game winning streak snapped.
“I think they’ll definitely be capable of winning another conference and even regionals,” Serpe said. “If they put their minds to it, they’ve got this. I believe in them. I’ll definitely miss the friendships. Being out there with 10 new players on varsity, we took them in as our siblings. We did everything together, inside and outside of school.”