Family and friends sat together in the stands of Huntley High School, eager to watch the varsity basketball girls play against Dundee-Crown on Jan. 14.

But, after an intense game, Huntley lost to the Chargers, with a final score of 34-26. Though they did not win, the girls presented their skills and hard work throughout.

Seniors Melissa Moffett and Bridget Bigden, junior Anna Seng, and sophomores Ashley Guazzo and Kamsi Nwogu were Huntley’s starters.

The Chargers won the jump ball and scored the first points of the night. Huntley and Dundee-Crown both had strong defenses, thus making it challenging for the teams to score on each other.

Huntley’s offense became more aggressive towards the end of the first quarter. Nwogu was the first to score on the team.

The first quarter ended with a tie of 4-4, with both teams determined to take the competition to the next level.

An impressive performance came out of Huntley during the second quarter. The team scored three 3-pointers, two by sophomore Briana Bower and one by Seng.

The girls continued to dominate the second quarter, leading with a score of 19-11.

Dundee-Crown stepped up their offense, ultimately bringing themselves ahead for much of the third quarter. Huntley eventually gained back a slight lead above the Chargers, ending third quarter 23-22.

It was anybody’s game after the third quarter, with both teams motivated to bring the heat against each other.

The Chargers scored the first points of the fourth quarter and controlled the remainder of the game.

Huntley managed to score three more points but fell short to Dundee-Crown by eight points.

The final score was 34-26, with the Chargers adding another victory to their list.

“We really wanted this win and to make a different name for ourselves within the conference,” junior Sydney Novak said. “We played our hardest and we have been having some difficulties coming out in the second half of the game, but we did what we needed to do, and we will get better as the season goes on.”

Both teams were victorious in their sportsmanship and efforts. 

“The girls played extremely hard and I am really proud of their effort,” said Steve Raethz, the coach for girls varsity basketball. “We have really improved on the defensive end, especially in the last half of the season.”

Huntley’s scorers were Nwogu and Bower, both with eight points, Seng with five points, Moffett with three points, and Guazzo with two points.

Bigden and Novak strongly contributed to the team’s powerful offense and defense.

“I think we did enough defensively to win the game,” Raethz said. “I’ve been very pleased with our level of competitiveness on the floor.”

The Huntley girls’ next game is on Jan. 17. They will compete against the Trojans at Cary-Grove High School.