As their competitors start shooting their threes, the varsity girls basketball team runs along the outside of the court to the beat of the music. The crowd roars as the team files out one by one. Together, they set up to warm up their layups and practice their form.

With the occasional squeaks from their shoes coming into contact with the floor, Huntley High School and Crystal Lake South players prepare for a good game. The final score of 68-25 shows a huge win for the Raiders.

In the first quarter, Huntley started off by losing the slow tip, and Crystal Lake South managed to sneak in a quick layup. Although the Raiders started with a loss on defense, they quickly picked it up and had a stronger and tighter defense in the second quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 15-7 with HHS in the lead.

After halftime, both teams settled into the game’s energy. Each was ready to give it their best, but Huntley kept up their tight defensive tactics, and they moved the ball and scored the best shots. Crystal Lake South struggled to handle the heat coming from the white and red jerseys. They could not handle the successful threes and the consistent free throws.

With most of their points accumulating in the third quarter, Jessica Ozzauto scored 8 points, Samantha Campanelli scored 6 points, Anna Campanelli scored 3 points, Jori Heard scored 2 points, and Mallory Winters scored another 2 points, totalling to 23 more points to the original score.

These girls worked so hard to gain their lead in that game, and it paid off. There was a lack of rushed shots and passes, and they defensively stayed low and light on their feet. The highest scorer of the night was Ozzauto with a total of 19 points.

“They got a lot of shots. It’s great to see a lot of players, different players, contribute times to the win,” head Coach Steven Raethz said. “It’s a great way to end the week.”

Everyone scored and contributed in one way or another tonight and that is great to see. The diverse skill set from this team is a special one.

The girls basketball team has been working together for a long time now, and it impacts their plays on the court.

“I think we all trust each other, especially on defense, which helps, because then we can just do our part but then we’re also helping everyone else, and that’s why defenses are solid,” junior Samantha Campanelli said.

The team is getting ready to play Burlington on Monday and are feeling ready going in with a conference season of 14-1. According to the girls, they are ready for a focused practice.

“[Our goal is to] finish conference strong and then go into the regional just prepared one game at a time,” Ozzauto said.

The varsity girls basketball team is a strong one, and with the lead that they brought in their game against Crystal Lake South, it shows their readiness for the game ahead.