Kamsi Nwogu brings the ball up the floor on a fast break with defenders in front of her. She euro steps her way past the Bartlett defender then lays it in gracefully underhand, avoiding the next Bartlett defender making two of her 20 points. 

The Red Raiders faced off against the Bartlett Hawks. The Raiders had a tough task going into the game with having to guard Mackenzie Hare and Alexis Sinclair, both of which are potential all-state caliber players. Although, Sinclair was sitting out of the game for some unknown reason. 

The main focus was limiting Hare according to Raethz. Their game plan was to face guard her and blitzing ball screens which means a double team on the ball screens. The Raiders did a fantastic job limiting her to 14 points, eight of which came in the first quarter. 

The game seemed to look like a high scoring affair from the start. The first quarter score was 17-14. 

“Bartlett scored 17 points, which is way too much to give up in eight minutes but the second quarter we extended our lead and tightened up things on the defensive end,” senior and captain Anna Seng said. 

Huntley did a good job beating Bartlett’s 2-2-1 full court press and getting easy buckets in transition throughout the game. 

One of the biggest stories was freshman Carley Faulkner. Faulkner came off the bench and provided a big spark with several steals and nice finishes. She finished with 16 points. Head coach Steve Raethz weighs in on her performance. 

“That was definitely her best game so far this year, she is a very dynamic player…and her ability to get the basket is a real plus for us,” Raethz said. 

Huntley was up at the half 27-23. The second half was a game of runs. Huntley would look like they would run out with the game but Bartlett would not give up easy.

The two teams were boxers exchanging blows. Huntley was up 11, 42-31 before Bartlett got a steal with 9 seconds remaining. Hare attacks the basket and kicks out to a Bartlett player for a three pointer as the buzzer sounded to make it an eight point game and keep the hawks in the contest. 

Huntley was just too much for the hawks in the fourth. Faulkner had a big steal and layup to push the lead to six then the raiders drilled some free throws to extend the lead. Anna Seng drilled a big 3 late in the game to give the Raiders a cushion. 

The Raiders won the game 55-44 pushing their overall record to 6-4 on the year. 

“It was a nice win against a good team,” Raethz said. It gives the raiders momentum as they head into a tough montini tournament during winter break. 

Kamsi Nwogu finished with 20 points, Faulkner had 16. Radermacher scored 12 points and Seng added seven.