Huntley nabs a win vs. Barrington

Without leading scorer Bryan Wegner, Barrington needed someone to step up.

Huntley relied on star guard Tyler Brunschon.

The junior nailed a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to put the Red Raiders up 56-54 and seal Huntley's 57-54 nonconference boys basketball victory over Barrington in Huntley Saturday night.

After losing Wegner (ankle sprain) in Friday night's overtime loss to Conant, the Broncos looked to sophomore John Schneider to take the final shot.

Schneider drove the right side of the lane and had a look, but was met by a wall of Red Raider defenders and missed an inside shot with 2.1 seconds remaining.

Huntley's Justin Frederick grabbed the rebound and drew an immediate foul. After splitting a pair of free-throws to put Huntley up 57-54 with 2.1 seconds left, Adrian Avelar picked off Barrington's inbound pass to end the game.

"Bryan is a big part of our team. I knew I needed to step up," said Schneider, who led all players with 17 points. "I went up to the basket (on the final shot), I just didn't get my roll."

Brunschon was rolling at the end of the fourth quarter for Huntley (11-4). The junior went 4 of 5 from the floor in the final period, while the rest of the Red Raiders were a combined 0 for 9. Brunschon, who led Huntley with 16 points, put the Red Raiders up 48-38 after back-to-back baskets to open the period.

"We were feeling real confident," Brunschon said after Huntley took a 10-point lead. "Especially our defense, we were getting after loose balls. (Then) they trapped us and forced turnovers. We were making some mistakes."

Down by 10, Barrington (9-8) found the level of play coach Bryan Tucker was looking for all night. The Broncos did not allow Huntley to score another basket for nearly 4 minutes, and eventually took a 53-52 lead off of James Stack's second 3-pointer of the period. Greg Gerrard (12 points, 3 assists) split a pair of free throws with 1:44 remaining to give Barrington a 54-52 lead, its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

"At that point, I was proud of how our kids didn't lay down," Tucker said. "(But) that was what we expected for four quarters."

Brunschon finished the game with 13 points in the second half, including 9 in the final period. He drove the lane and connected on a shot to put the Red Raiders up 52-45 with 3:35 left to play. Dylan Neukirch added 15 points, 2 assists and 2 steals, while freshman Bryce Only added 5 steals for Huntley.

"Tyler hit a big runner in the lane and got fouled," Huntley coach Marty Manning said. "He definitely finished the game."

Tucker added that Wegner's ankle was tender and he was not going to risk playing him in a nonconference game, but could not elaborate on when his might return to the Broncos' lineup.