On Friday night, the Raiders capped off a heart-stopping comeback with a 48-46 win over Crystal Lake South. Huntley has now won 5 straight, and are sitting comfortably in second place in the Fox Valley Conference with a 23-4 record.

Both teams struggled to get their offenses going early. The opening frame was defined by extensive foul calls on the Raiders, severely hindering their ability to create flow on the offensive side of the ball.

The Raiders may have struggled to make shots fall in the first half however there was no shortage of quality plays in other aspects of the offense. The ball movement was constant and efficient, paving the way for good shot attempts.

The squad was also playing well on the offensive side of the glass. Adam Guazzo, who recently broke the school’s single season rebounding record, and several others racked up countless offensive rebounds.

The value of these boards cannot be understated, as they provided Huntley with countless extra opportunities and shot attempts.

“We had a bunch of guys getting offensive rebounds, and it really kept us in the game, we may have not scored on all of them but the extra possessions they create are crucial,” head Coach Will Benson said.

The Raiders were also playing physical and stifling defense throughout the half, forcing South to take poor and contested shot attempts.

The third quarter was a frame most Huntley fans would like to forget, as South continued to expand their lead and the Raiders offense had seemingly come to a complete stop.

Huntley had lost all momentum by the start of the fourth quarter and the possible outcome of the matchup seemed grim. Despite all this the Raiders stayed in the game and slowly started to claw their way back into contention.

“I think a lot of our guys have been through this before, they understand where we’re at during the game and have a belief that we can come back. When you know they’ve experienced this before you just trust them to get a stop at a time and work their way back into the game,” Benson said.

The end of regulation was in stark contrast to the three previous quarters, with Huntley’s perimeter shooting overcoming early struggles and catching fire.

Senior guard Ben Ahmer, who had not scored since the opening frame, made it rain from behind the arch, draining back to back threes and inching the Raiders closer to the lead.

“Basketball can be weird, sometimes your shots go in and sometimes they just don’t. You just got to keep shooting and stick to your offense, shooters shoot,” Ahmer said.

That mentality paid off for the Raiders, as Aiden Wieczorek hit his first three of the game to take the lead over South, sending the home crowd into fanatics. Ahmer followed up the three with a clutch steal and break away layup.

“The steal was really instinctive, it was late in the game and he was getting lazy with the ball. I just reached out and got it away from him,” Ahmer said.

Unfortunately for the fans, South wasn’t done yet. A few excellent drives into the paint got them within one score, and a buzzer-beater layup tied the game.

The comeback left the crowd silent, however Wieczorek quickly gave them something to cheer about. The clutch senior guard drained two consecutive heavily contested threes in a shootout with South’s Cooper LePage.

Huntley maintained their lead and eventually pulled away in the breathtaking overtime, with South being forced to foul to stay in the game. Wieczorek noted the valuable support of the fans in the final minutes.

“It got loud, man. That energy helps us stay in the game and hit those shots when it really matters,”

Guazzo sank two free throws to ice the game and the Raiders narrowly escaped with their well-earned 23rd win on the season.

Huntley will visit McHenry in their upcoming matchup this Tuesday.