Class 4A State Semifinal

 Huntley vs. Rolling Meadows

Friday, March 1

6:30 p.m.

Huntley (26-6)

Starters

Kayla Barreto, guard, freshman

Bethany Zornow, guard, junior

Haley Ream, guard/forward, senior

Ali Andrews, forward, freshman

Sam Andrews, forward, junior

Top Scorers

Sam Andrews, 16.1 PPG

Ali Andrews, 16.0 PPG

Haley Ream, 5.8 PPG

Top Rebounders

Ali Andrews, 7.4 RPG

Sam Andrews, 5.9 RPG

Haley Ream, 5.5 RPG

How They Got Here

Huntley carried a number three seed going into the Belvidere North Regional.  The Raiders knocked off the second-seeded DeKalb Barbs with 18 points from Sam Andrews, 13 from Ali Andrews, and 11 by Bethany Zornow, who pulled down a crucial rebound with a one-point lead on the line.  After that, the Raiders played first-seeded Belvidere North in the regional championship, which Huntley won 60-41.  The Raiders’ collective offensive charge and shutdown defense gave it a quick victory over the Blue Thunder.

Next was the Class 4A Rockford East Sectional Semifinal against Harlem.  Huntley’s resiliency shined as the Raiders fought off a late run and pulled in another victory, with major contributions from Ali, who towered over the Huskies.

The Raiders showed they could beat a tough full-court press by shutting down the Streamwood Sabres for the second time this season, giving Huntley its first sectional championship in school history.  Although Wheaton Warrenville South had a height advantage at all positions in the Class 4A Dundee-Crown Super-Sectional, Huntley picked up more boards and punched its ticket to state, again behind its conventional shutdown defense.

Key Threat

Sam Andrews

Huntley will bring its tough defense and hold Jackie Kemph and Alexis Glasgow to less than their season averages in points per game.  However, the difference will be Sam, the Huntley junior who drained 51 threes this season.  Sam’s scoring will be more important than ever, as Huntley will need all it can get against a team that has scored over 52 points per game all season.

X-Factor

Both teams have smart coaches going into the game as Huntley’s Steve Raethz is 36 wins over .500 in his career and Rolling Meadows’ Ryan Kirkorsky is 37 wins over .500.  The postseason-long underdog Raiders need to bring the same defense and resiliency they have played with in the past two weeks if they want to knock off the Mustangs for a spot in the Class 4A Championship Game.

Rolling Meadows (29-3)

Starters

Jackie Kemph, guard, junior

Jenny Vilet, guard/forward, junior

Alexis Glasgow, guard, junior

Ashley Montanez, forward/center, junior

Morgan Keller, center, senior

Top Scorers

Jackie Kemph, 19.6 PPG

Alexis Galsgow, 17.0 PPG

Jenny Vilet, 10.0 PPG

Top Rebounders

Jenny Vilet, 8.3 RPG

Ashley Montanez, 5.1 RPG

Morgan Keller, 4.1 RPG

How They Got Here

Glasgow, Kemph, and Vilet have traded jaw-dropping performances this postseason, with Glasgow leading scoring in two games, Kemph leading in three, and Vilet leading in one.  The Mustangs blew out Lake Forest in the Mudelein Regional Semifinal by a score of 81-25.  Hersey gave Rolling Meadows a closer competition in the regional final, but the Mustangs still won 53-37.

Kemph had another big game for the Mustangs against Stevenson in the sectional semifinal, with Rolling Meadows leading by 19 points at one time in the fourth period.  Fremd didn’t have enough to knock off Kirkorsky in his first year with the Mustangs, who cruised past Evanston in the Class 4A Niles West Super-Sectional Championship to head to state.

Key Threat

Jackie Kemph

This one is pretty self-explanatory.  She’s a member of the All-State Team and is putting up almost 20 points per game in a season when Rolling Meadows has had eight 80-plus point games.  Kemph will have a big game like Streamwood’s Meghan Waldron, but she’ll have to be clutch down the stretch to make the difference in this one.

X-Factor

Rolling Meadows and Huntley are both inspired teams.  They’re both Cinderellas, with each team program downstate for the first time in its respective history.  Huntley is playing for its first team state championship in school history, Rolling Meadows is playing for its third (two in girls archery in 1978).  The key here will be rebounding and scoring.  Huntley has a height advantage over Rolling Meadows, so expect the pressure to narrow on Ali Andrews.  The Mustangs have Kemph, Glasgow, and Vilet, though, and if the big three can keep up its routine scoring, Rolling Meadows will win yet again.

Photo by Mike Krebs/The Voice