When the Huntley High School girls basketball team finished fourth in the state last season, all eyes turned to “next year.”  With four returning starters, expectations soared for the Red Raiders. But whether or not those expectations are fulfilled depends on how the team handles itself.

“We don’t want to put any undue pressure on ourselves, but we obviously want to build off a successful season,” said Huntley coach Steve Raethz.  “We’re just taking every game and practice one at a time.”

Huntley showed just how it plans to handle itself with its 62-33 blowout over Crystal Lake Central.  Starting the game with a seven-point run, the Red Raiders maintained momentum throughout the entirety of the game.

As what seems to have become customary for a Huntley girls basketball game, the team was led by the dynamic duo of Sam and Ali Andrews.  Sam led the team in scoring with 20 points while Ali was second with 13.  These two clearly have the potential to have a huge impact on the team’s success this season.

“It was big having Sam come out for us with 20 [points],” said Raethz.  “Ali started out a little slow, but she came up big for us eventually.”

But perhaps an even bigger impact will come from something the team didn’t have last year.  Huntley pulled its starters for nearly an entire quarter and still managed to outscore Central.  Two huge additions for the team are sophomore Kaitlin Costantino and freshman Morgan Clausen.  This new depth will add a key element to the team this year.

“We had some nice contributions from our bench,” said Raethz.  “We had the opportunity to give a lot of players opportunities tonight.”

Whether or not Huntley will be able to replicate its historic state-qualifying season remains unclear.  What does seem apparent is that the team has filled its missing pieces.  For now, the team can only take the season one game at a time.

Huntley’s next game is Wednesday against South Elgin in the team’s Thanksgiving Tournament.