Huntley defeated Jacobs 48-45 in a thriller at Huntley High School. The Raiders improved to 12-4 overall, and 5-0 in FVC Valley division.
The game was close throughout with constant lead changes and momentum shifts. The first quarter was all about defense with Huntley leading 7-6 after eight minutes. The game stayed close, with Huntley leading Jacobs 23-21 at halftime.
Jacobs came out inspired in the third quarter going on a 17-9 run to start the period and were up by three going into the fourth quarter.
With two minutes left to go and star player Amanze Egekeze sitting on the bench with four fouls, Benedictine commit Zach Gorney hit two mid range jumpers to tie up the game 44-44 with just under two minutes remaining. On the next possession, senior Riley Wicks made a contested layup to put Huntley up by two.
“Those were six huge points for us when Amanze was on the bench. I was really proud of those seniors for making plays,” said Huntley coach Marty Manning.
Jacobs had the ball down by three in the final seconds. Jacobs junior Cory Boeckh dribbled around the perimeter before firing up a potential game tying three pointer. The shot hit the back of the rim and fell out, giving Huntley the victory.
The deciding factor in the game was turnovers as Huntley had only five turnovers compared to Jacobs fourteen.