Huntley tips Geneva in double overtime

Huntley girls basketball coach Steve Raethz admitted that free throw shooting "has been an issue for us at times this season."

That definitely was not the case Monday afternoon.

The Red Raiders (9-4) converted 26 of 29 free throws, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line in the second extra session, during their 66-63 double-overtime victory over Geneva (11-2) in the third day of the annual Montini Christmas Tournament in Lombard.

"Obviously that's the best we've shot (free throws)," said Raethz, whose team made its last 12 foul shots and finished at a 90 percent clip for the game. "It's something we've talked about more and more as of late."

Junior forward Ali Andrews, who turned in a monster performance with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocked shots and 3 steals, converted all 12 of her free-throw attempts to lead the Red Raiders.

"We've been struggling at the line for a while," said Andrews. "We've been practicing knocking down free throws and it really helped us out in this game."

Sophomore forward Morgan Clausen (15 points) hit 7 of her 8 free throws while junior guard Kayla Barreto (14 points) made 6 of 7 foul shots, including a perfect 4 of 4 in the second overtime.

Watching teammates make free throws can be infectious.

"Everyone just gains confidence," said Andrews. "They know they can knock them down."

On the other hand, Geneva made just 5 of its 14 free throws (36 percent) and didn't take a single attempt during the two 4-minute overtime periods.

"We got ourselves into a little foul trouble - that didn't help," said Vikings coach Sarah Meadows, whose team suffered its second consecutive loss after rattling off 11 consecutive victories to start the season. "Free throws were huge. They didn't miss theirs and we didn't make ours."

Geneva, led by a pair of 3-pointers from senior guard Kate Rogers (team-high 14 points), grabbed a 15-10 lead that grew to as many as 10 in the second quarter.

Rogers' third 3-pointer of the half and Courtney Reynolds' 14-foot jumper extended the Vikings' margin to 26-16 before the Red Raiders scored 4 points over the final 28 seconds to trim the halftime deficit to 26-20.

Baskets from Andrews, Barreto and Kelli Rubino during the first 2:11 of the third quarter enabled Huntley to draw even at 26-26.

Barreto's second 3-pointer of the quarter gave the Red Raiders their first lead of the game at 34-33. The 5-3 guard scored 10 third-quarter points as Huntley outscored Geneva 18-9.

"I thought Kayla Barreto did a nice job in the third quarter knocking down some huge shots for us," said Raethz. "That gave us an opportunity to get back into it.

"I was really proud of the way our team came back in the second half, especially playing as poorly as we did in the first half."

Meanwhile, Meadows lamented over her team's third-quarter woes that included 6 turnovers and just 3 field goals.

"We had a 10-point lead and then the third quarter …" said Meadows. "The third quarter has hurt us. It got away from us there."

Trailing 49-46, the Vikings forced overtime on Rogers' buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner.

"Kate hit a huge three," said Meadows. "She's a kid who worked real hard last year and has kind of waited her turn. She's doing a good job."

"That's a very deflating feeling to have something like that happen to you at the buzzer," said Raethz. "I was very pleased in the manner with which our kids responded."

Margaret Whitley (12 points, 6 assists), Stephanie Hart (11 points), Janie McCloughan (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) and Abby Novak (8 points, 13 rebounds) also contributed for the Vikings.

"It could have gone either way," said Meadows.