After Huntley secured a 17-11 lead over Harlem in the 4A Rockford East Sectional Semifinal on Tuesday night, head coach Steve Raethz knew that the lead wouldn’t stay.

“We knew that at some point they were going to make a run at us, as it happens with the ebb and flow of every game,” he said.

Harlem’s run came with nine consecutive points scored at the start of the second half to take a 20-18 lead, prompting Raethz to call a time out with 5:21 left in the third period.

“I talked about staying calm, weathering the storm and trying to come up with a run of our own,” he said.

The Raiders did just that as junior forward Sam Andrews (14 points) came out of the time out with a layup to tie the game at 20 followed by an old-fashioned 3-point-play to give Huntley a lead it would not lose again as it went on to win 46-37.

“We knew that we had to keep running our offense and not getting frustrated easily,” said Huntley freshman Ali Andrews, who finished with 21 points and five blocks.

Ali, a 6-foot, 2-inch forward, had her biggest game of the postseason against a Harlem team whose tallest player stood at 5-feet, 10 inches.  The height advantage was crucial in her 9-point first half.

“She did a nice job of sitting down low in the post and coming up with some big buckets down the stretch,” Raethz said.

The Raiders’ victory against the Huskies is the first sectional semifinal won in Huntley girls basketball history. The Raiders will battle for the sectional title on Thursday night against the Streamwood Sabres, who advanced over Cary-Grove 45-44 on Monday night.  Huntley looks to enter the sectional championship game with the same poise it has been playing with all postseason.

“Since the postseason started, I really like how this team has group has regrouped and banded together,” Raethz said.  “They have just done a fantastic job to put themselves in a position to win a sectional title.”

Photos by Mike Krebs/The Voice