The last time Huntley High School’s girls basketball team played against Cary Grove, it lost in a heartbreaking overtime thriller. It was perhaps the most disappointing point in Huntley’s season last year. But Huntley had another shot. And they didn’t waste it.
Huntley took its revenge Monday night, achieving a one-sided 58-48 victory over the Trojans. Despite allowing Cary to achieve a few scoring runs, the Red Raiders retained control throughout the game.
“I was pleased with the way the kids came out and the way we’ve been playing,” said Huntley coach Steve Raethz. “We just have to keep it going.”
Leading Huntley’s efforts were the team’s leading scorers, Sam and Ali Andrews. Sam posted a team high with 25 points while Ali trailed close behind her with 23.
Despite the customary offensive output of the Andrews sisters, perhaps the highlight of the game was the team’s defensive performance. Senior Bethany Zornow made a great contribution to the team’s defensive game, helping to limit the output of Katie Barker and Abby Glaysher, two of the most dynamic scorers on Cary’s team.
“[Zornow] did a fantastic job defensively,” said Raethz. “We just try to contest as many shots as possible and take it from there.”
One of the defining moments of the game was a questionable technical foul called on Sam Andrews. Upon taking a defensive rebound, Andrews came in contact with a Cary player, prompting a technical. The original call would have required Andrews to leave the game, but after meeting, the officials decided not to eject her. Raethz, although originally disgruntled by the call, praised the officiating crew for working together to make the right call.
“They did the right thing by huddling up and making the right decision,” said Raethz.
While this win just adds to Huntley’s undefeated season, it marks a much bigger milestone for the Red Raiders. Cary was one of the largest obstacles last season. Huntley’s dominating win is an unofficial assessment of the team’s improvements over last year. The next test comes Friday against Whitney Young, the team that beat Huntley in a 60-27 rout last year at the state tournament.