Huntley to play for Sycamore title

Twelve was Huntley’s lucky number.

A pair of 12-0 runs in the second half propelled the Red Raiders’ boys basketball team to a 64-55 victory against St. Francis de Sales Friday and into the championship game of the Leland G. Strombom Tournament in Sycamore.

Huntley scored the last 12 points of the third quarter to take a 45-40 lead. After the Pioneers battled back to take a 53-52 advantage, the Raiders scored another 12 in a row, putting the game away from the free-throw line in the closing minutes.

Amanze Egekeze led Huntley with 21 points. Troy Miller added 20, including some clutch 3-pointers. Justin Frederick had 12 points and 7 rebounds for the Red Raiders, who will play fellow Fox Valley Conference Valley Division school Dundee-Crown in tonight’s championship game.

“It was a game of runs,” said Huntley coach Marty Manning. “I think I was most proud of us getting tested, facing our first real adversity going down by 5 or 7 points in that third quarter. But we finished the third quarter strong, started the fourth quarter strong, and that was really nice to see.”

Huntley led 52-47 before a lighting-quick 6-point run put the Pioneers back in front. A pair of steals on the press led to transition layups and a quick lead. But the Raiders were unruffled, regaining the lead for good on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Egekeze.

The Pioneers’ run was reminiscent of one in the first half, when they scored 9 points in under a minute to turn a 19-0 advantage into an 18-16 lead.

Ahmad Malone led St. Francis de Sales with 16 points, while Adbayo Babalola and Willie Orange added 12 apiece.

For most of the game, Egekeze handled the scoring inside, although he made a 3-pointer, and Miller scored from the outside. He made four 3-pointers and converted 3 free throws after being fouled on another long-distance attempt.