Andrews, Huntley top Neuqua for 5th at Montini
When the going got tough on Tuesday the Huntley girls basketball team did what it knows best, and that is get the ball to Ali Andrews in the post.
The 6-foot-2 senior forward scored 10 of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Red Raiders to a 47-44 win over Neuqua Valley in the fifth place game of the Montini Christmas Tournament in Lombard. The Illinois-bound Andrews also had 13 rebounds.
"We did a real good job in that fourth quarter of moving the ball around and finding the open seams and gaps," Huntley coach Steve Raethz said. "Plus Ali did a nice job of staying patient and just letting the plays develop. She was real clutch for us."
Andrews scored all 11 points for the Red Raiders in the first quarter, but was held to just a single basket and 2 free throws in the second and third quarters combined before re-emerging in the fourth as a dominant force in the paint.
"She's a great player," Neuqua coach Mike Williams said. "It's hard to keep a player like her down for long. We were able to slow her down for a while but she just wore us down and we had some mental breakdowns on the defensive end."
Andrews scored buckets on the Red Raiders' first four possessions of the fourth quarter with two strong post-up moves to the basket and two turnaround jumpers in the lane.
"They started packing the middle after the first quarter and denying us the ball inside," Andrews said. "We just knew we had to keep working hard for baskets. We did a good job of moving the ball in the fourth quarter and creating some openings."
The game was tight throughout with neither team getting more than a 5 point lead. The lead changed hands three times and the score was tied four times in the fourth quarter alone.
A free throw with 1:17 remaining by Morgan Clausen finally gave the Red Raiders the lead for good, 45-44. Clausen added a pair of insurance free throws with 9 seconds left. Neuqua missed shots on its final 3 possessions of the game and couldn't get a shot off in the final seconds.
Kayla Barreto added four 3-pointers for the Red Raiders (10-4), who finished the tournament 3-1 and have won 7 of 8.
"I am really proud of the way the girls battled at the end of this game and throughout the tournament," Raethz said. "We played four quality teams here and faced different styles in each one. So, I am very pleased to come out of here 3-1 and this will be valuable experience as we move forward to the second half of the season ."
The Wildcats (12-5) were led in scoring Myia Starks, who had 18 points. Kai Moon added 14, including two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that evened the score both times.
Neuqua finished the tournament 2-2.
"We are emotionally and physically drained," said Williams. "That's no excuse. We need to learn to play through it, but we are definitely looking forward to a break."