Better 2nd half propels Huntley past Jacobs

Marty Manning’s halftime message to his Huntley boys basketball team was pretty simple: Make more shots.

The Red Raiders took their coach’s words to heart and the result was a 46-39 win at Jacobs in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division opener for both teams Friday night.

Jake Wagner scored 13 points and Zach Gorney added 10 as the Raiders bounced back after their first loss of the season.

“We had a whole bunch of open shots and just didn’t make them,” Manning said. “We said to the guys at halftime, ‘You’re running your offense well, you’ve just got to make shots.’ Sometimes its hard to make the game that easy, but for us I think it was.”

Huntley shot just 28 percent in the first half while playing to a 19-19 tie. Jacobs grabbed a quick lead after the break, but TJ Adams and Blake Jacobs nailed 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start a 9-2 run that gave Huntley (4-1) the lead for good.

“We struggled in the first half putting the ball in the basket,” said Wagner. “We just came out a lot more aggressive and we just knocked down shots. We had the open shots in the first half and we just weren’t hitting.”

Jacobs (0-4 overall) made 4 more field goals than the visitors, but Huntley made 16 of 18 free throws while Jacobs made just 1 of 5. Wagner was 8-for-8 from the line.

Sophomore guard Chrishawn Orange continued his emergence for Jacobs, scoring 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half.

“They were more physical than us,” said Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle. “They play solid defense, and they made their free throws. When they had to they were able to put the game away.”

Bryce Only had 8 points and 10 rebounds for Huntley. Adams finished with 8 points, while Dan Janus added 4 points and 5 rebounds off the bench for the Red Raiders.

Will Schwerdtmann added 7 points for Jacobs. Lake Ojo and Blake Micel added 6 apiece for the Golden Eagles. Micel also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench.

Leading just 34-32 early in the fourth quarter, Huntley scored 8 straight points to put the game away.