On a dark, damp, and snowy Tuesday night, fans and players alike file into Huntley High School, excited for a basketball game. Inside, players are running drills to warm themselves up in the frigid gym, preparing for their next big game. On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Huntley won 58-9 against McHenry High School.
This game was one of the first of the season, setting the tone for the rest of the year. Huntley has usually done well in the past, thanks to the players’ hard work and dedication. Coach and social studies teacher Clayton Henricksen believes that this year will be no different.
“One thing that has always been true of our teams is that we get better as the year progresses. Our players have always worked so hard and been committed to getting better each day, and that is true of this year’s group as well,” Hendrickson said. “We have started off strong, and it has been awesome to see the growth we have made since the start of the season. I believe we have a really high ceiling, and if we are committed to continually getting better, I think we could have a really special season.”
Even with this win, the girls’ basketball team always checks in on how they’re playing. They review footage of all of their games to look at the mistakes they made and come up with a plan on how to improve.
“It is important that we identify the things we need to get better at and continually work on them,” Hendrickson said. “A big part of our success is spending most of our practices on the things that we need to work on.”
While the players’ success during games is largely due to their own intricacy and hard work, the coaches also put in a lot of work to make sure the team is the best that they can be.
“I think Huntley is a great basketball program,” player Cecillia Romano said. “We have an amazing coaching staff who knows the game and pushes us hard to be as good as we can be.”
Raider Nation also showed up in support of the team Tuesday night.
“We try to come to pretty much every single game,” junior Parker Filipek said. “Huntley usually does pretty well…I think the score really just speaks for itself.”
