Huntley holds off Barrington in battle of unbeatens
Getting the ball to the go-to player in the right place in a crucial time is not always easy.
And Huntley kept its patience when it didn’t happen immediately in a tie game with visiting Barrington in Saturday night’s nonconference girls basketball battle of unbeatens.
A screen by senior Sam Andrews set up her sophomore sister Ali down near the basket. Bethany Zornow’s entry pass was timed perfectly so there was no time for extra defensive help to arrive.
And 25 seconds after a timeout, the 6-foot-2 Ali Andrews’ short turnaround with 1:11 to play put the Red Raiders ahead to stay during an 8-point run that sent them to a 50-48 victory.
“I was just waiting for the screens and waiting for the play to evolve,” Andrews said after finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds. “We know how each other plays and we just know each other well.”
Sam Andrews (19 points, 10 rebounds) hit 4 free throws in 1-and-1 situations with 37 and 23 seconds left to finish 11-for-13 at the line and put Huntley (9-0) up 50-44. Ali Andrews’ tying rebound basket with 3:08 left and two Barrington turnovers led to the go-ahead play.
“They were patient ... and the kids recognized what they were in defensively and did a great job of getting to their spots,” said Huntley coach Steve Raethz. “Bethany made a great pass as Ali was getting down low to get her that shot.
“The kids did a great job of coming up with three really solid stops. It was a great effort by the kids in the last half of the fourth quarter.”
The same was true of Barrington (7-1) as it rallied from a 31-20 deficit 1:03 before halftime.
Brooke Gunderson found Angie Kirchoff (10 points) for a transition layup, Carrie Madden had a steal and layup and Madden found Megan Talbot (11 points, 9 rebounds) for a layup to cap a 9-point run that put the Fillies up 39-36 with 6:36 left.
“I thought we did a really nice job of coming back in the second half,” said Barrington coach Babbi Barreiro. “It would have been easy to hang our heads and to pout a little bit, but the kids really pulled together and got the job done.”
And the Fillies took a 44-42 lead at 3:41 when a defender left Kirchoff for a 3 off a feed from Madden, who provided a huge spark off the bench with 6 points and 4 assists. Sophomore guard Kelly Katis added 9 points but their final 4 points came in the last five seconds.
“If there’s such a thing as a good loss, it’s a good loss,” Barreiro said of facing last year’s Class 4A fourth-place team on the road. “Mainly we figured out we can play with good teams.”
It was also a valuable test for Huntley before Monday’s visit by Fox Valley Valley rival Cary-Grove.
“Barrington’s a really solid team and they play well at both ends of the floor,” Raethz said.
“We were all really excited to come to this game and show them what we’ve got,” Ali Andrews said. “We had to hold our own and play our game.
“Even though they got up we knew we still had to get stops and stay calm, keep playing how we play and it would end up our way.”