In a tough game against Prairie Ridge, the boys varsity basketball team wasn’t able to secure a win on Jan. 21. Despite their loss, the team still gave it their all and played to the best of their abilities.

The game remained fairly close with each team constantly trading baskets. In the first quarter, Huntley was able to score the first basket, but Prairie Ridge stayed within close distance and consistently scored after each possession. By the end of the first quarter, Prairie Ridge led by 2 points with the score 8-10.

The second quarter and third quarters were very similar to the first, with each team neck-and-neck to each other. Prairie Ridge had great defense, which put a dent in Huntley’s offense. Prairie Ridge was also outrebounding Huntley, which allowed them to have way more possessions. By the end of the third quarter, the score was still pretty close at 21-24.

During the fourth quarter; however, Prairie Ridge elevated their game. They quickly expanded their lead through free throws after multiple fouls by Huntley. In the middle of the fourth, Prairie Ridge had the lead with the score being 25-34. Huntley stepped up their defense and made consecutive baskets to bring the score to 34-38. Prairie Ridge scored again making the score 34-40, and with time running out, Huntley was forced to foul to stop the clock. Prairie Ridge were able to make all of their free throws and Huntley unfortunately weren’t able to score enough points in time. The final score was 34-42.

“Definitely not the turnout that we wanted. They played a good game. We’ll work on it and get better,” senior Adam Guazzo said.

It was very apparent that Prairie Ridge’s physicality and tenacity helped them to secure the win.

“I thought Prairie Ridge kicked our butts quite honestly. I thought they were more physical than us, out rebounded us, and out executed us. They deserved the win,” William Benson, head coach said.

Seniors Ben Ahmer and Aiden Wieczorek were the team’s leading scorers and scored a combined total 18, each scoring 9 and accounted for half of the team’s points.

“We didn’t play how we usually play, we just didn’t have it tonight,” Ahmer said.

Despite their tough loss, the team has been doing really well in the season so far.

“It’s been great. We’re 18-4 and 7-2 in the league. It’s a really good group of kids, they play well together, but it just wasn’t our night tonight,” Benson said.

The team gave it their all against Prairie Ridge and are looking forward to moving past this game and improving.