Five.
Four.
Three. Two. One.
Prairie Ridge High School senior Ben Gablenz chucks a shot up.
Nothing but net.
42-43.
On Friday, Jan. 17, the Huntley varsity boys basketball team lost their road game against PR by a buzzer-beater.
This result sets the table for the Feb. 18 matchup where Huntley would have a home-court advantage.
Huntley has been planning for this matchup since that nail-biting loss last month.
“We want to limit turnovers and points allowed in the paint, that killed us last time,” senior captain Sheldon Bonsu said. “Also, we’ve got to have more energy than them to be successful tonight.”
This plan worked.
Huntley came out hotter than before. Trading points and keeping up with PR. They kept it close and even went into the half up 24-23.
Seniors Christian Wilson and Logan Darragh were leading the scoring for Huntley. Gablenz from Prairie Ridge High School was making his presence felt again. Of his team’s 23 points, he was responsible for 17 of them.
“This kid can’t miss a shot,” raider nation leader Alex Behles said.
It seemed like everything he threw at the rim found a way to go in.
As a one-point game, the second half would be where the contest is decided.
Prairie Ridge was ready. They came out calm and collected and went on a run. They were drilling almost every shot, and when they missed, it seemed as if there was always someone there to collect the rebound.
They out-paced Huntley and were able to take the lead 30-41. Huntley would have to make some moves in order to have a shot at this game.
In the fourth quarter, Huntley was trying hard, but could not string much together. They ended up dropping this game 57-44.
Wilson scored 22 and led the scoring for Huntley tonight. Despite the effort, Gablenz dropped 34 points and was in control the whole night.
Now, It is time for Huntley to prepare for playoffs and senior night.
“One takeaway from the game that we could use to improve for playoffs is trusting in each other as a team,” Wilson said. “We are stronger as one.”
The team needs to move past the loss to make the rest of the season as memorable as possible. Playoffs are approaching, so their best basketball is yet to come. They also have a fun night coming up Friday, Feb. 21, with senior night.
“Coming into senior night I just want to enjoy it and take it all in,” Wilson said. “At the end of the day I’m not going to remember how many games we win or lose, I will remember the fun times with my teammates throughout my senior year.”
