Fourth quarter does in Huntley
Huntley led McHenry 26-25 after three quarters Saturday night.
The Red Raiders would like to forget the fourth and final quarter ever happened. It was a disaster.
McHenry, which went on a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, outscored the Red Raiders 20-10 during the final 8 minutes in posting a 45-36 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division boys basketball win in McHenry.
"We certainly had some defensive mental breakdowns during the game, but we really broke down in the fourth quarter," said Huntley coach Marty Manning. "We didn't play good help-side defense and McHenry got a lot of easy shots. We didn't
play smart basketball. Some of those mistakes are because of our youth. On offense, we had some mismatches and we didn't take advantage of those mismatches. We have a month to fix those mistakes before the playoffs. We are confident the mistakes can be fixed."
On a 15-footer by Tyler Brunschon, the Red Raiders (12-6, 1-2) regained the lead at 32-31 with 6:02 remaining.
Those would be the last points Huntley would score in over 4 minutes as the Warriors (11-5, 3-1) ripped off 10 straight points. During the pivotal 10-point surge, Josh McNaughton scored 7 points including a 3-pointer and Brett Palmer nailed a long 3-pointer as McHenry turned a 1-point deficit into 9-point 41-32 lead with 1:56 left in the game.
Huntley didn't give up as the Red Raiders scored 4 points in a row on 2 free throws from Troy Miller and a layup from Brunschon to pull within 5, 41-36, with 54 seconds left.
Huntley didn't get any closer as McNaughton and Palmer hit 2 free throws apiece to seal the win for the Warriors.
"We played good defense horn to horn and that is a testament to how hard our kids work," said McHenry coach Tim Paddock. "We struggled offensively for three quarters, but were more patient in the fourth quarter and took better shots. To win the conference it is a must to win all your home games because there are no easy places to win on the road. The kids bounced back after a tough loss at Cary Tuesday."
Dylan Neukirch was the lone Red Raider in double figures with 10 points while Brunschon scored 9.
McNaughton led McHenry with 13 while Palmer scored 12 with three 3-pointers.