Crystal Lake South drops Huntley
Crystal Lake South saved its best effort for the most opportune time.
Scoring the final 8 points, including going 6 of 6 from the free throw line, the Gators were able to post an important 53-42 win over pesky Huntley in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division boys basketball action in Huntley Wednesday night.
"It is a big win on the road," said Crystal Lake South coach Matt LePage. "We executed on possessions down the stretch and knocked down our free throws. I thought our defense was solid the entire game."
A conventional 3-pointer by Jack Bessey pulled Huntley (7-13, 2-3) within 3, 45-42, with 1:46 left in the contest.
Those were the last points the Raiders would score.
In the last minute, the Gators got 4 free throws from Tyler Baker and 2 charity tosses by Alex Reich along with a layup basket by Kyle Bartusch to seal the victory.
It was junior sharpshooter Zach Geske who gave Crystal Lake South (13-7, 3-2) an early cushion.
During a 13-2 run in the first quarter, Geske scored 11 of the Gators' 13 points on three 3-pointers and a driving layup. Wes Buckner had a putback as the Gators turned an early 2-1 deficit into a 14-4 advantage with 1:48 left in the first quarter.
South's biggest lead of the first half was 12, 23-11, after 2 free throws from Josh Friesen with 5:08 remaining in the first half.
Riding the hot hand of senior guard David Cruz, who scored 12 points in the second quarter including 3 from beyond the arc, Huntley got to within 2 of South at halftime, 29-27.
The closest Huntley got in the second half was 1, 35-34, on a putback from Connor Boesch with 4:58 left in the third quarter.
Huntley couldn't get any closer.
Geske, who scored 14 points in the first quarter and 5 in the third quarter, led all scorers with 19 points including 4-of-7 from 3-point land.
"My teammates did a great job of getting the ball to me in great spots to shoot," said Geske. "I thought my stroke was good and it felt good to get a win."
Cruz led Huntley with 12 points, all in the second quarter, and freshman Jadrian Flores tallied 10 with 2 treys.
'We were a little loose with the ball tonight," said Huntley coach Will Benson. "We had mental lapses that hurt us. We played hard but we didn't play intelligent."