Cary-Grove 67, Huntley 63
A wild fourth quarter turned what looked like a blowout win for Cary-Grove into a nailbiter, but the Trojans hung on to defeat Huntley, 67-63, in a Fox Valley Conference girls basketball crossover in Huntley Saturday night.
Cary-Grove led 50-29 before the Red Raiders staged a frantic, 34-point rally that got them as close as 3 points in the closing minutes.
Huntley made three 3-pointers, six 2-pointers and 13 of 14 free throws in the final period of a sloppy game that featured 66 free throws, 52 fouls, 56 turnovers and just 38 field goals.
Meg Straumann led all scorers with 20 points, and Claire Jakubicek added 17 for Cary-Grove (7-2).
Katherine Lowery led Huntley with 13 points.
"To come back the way we did from a 20-point deficit, it took everybody not only on the floor but on our bench," said Huntley coach Steve Raethz. "Hopefully, we can use the enthusiasm we created in the fourth quarter as a springboard, as a steppingstone to our next game and forward."
Cary-Grove coach Rod Saffert was just happy to come away with a "W."
"We've got a lot to learn yet and I'm glad it's happening now, before the conference season has started," he said. "But no way are we giving up 34 points in a quarter."
After not pressing the whole game, Huntley suddenly put on the pressure in the final period.
"We shouldn't freak out like that," said Straumann. "All along we've been taught to be aware of their press and what they might put on."
Three-pointers by Lowery and Carly Goede fueled a 12-0 run that made it 55-46. After the Trojans got the lead back to 13 points, Huntley started another run. The Raiders got as close as 62-59 on Amanda Wisniewski's 3-pointer with about a minute left, but could get no closer. The Trojans made just enough free throws to hold on.
Goede, Wisniewski, and Allyson Stellmach each scored 9 points for Huntley (4-4). Tori Sandstrom added 11 points for Cary-Grove.
Huntley led 19-15 after a solid first quarter, but the Trojans outscored Huntley 35-10 during the middle 2 periods to build the big lead.