Boesch, Cruz carry Huntley by Dundee-Crown
Sophomore Jack Bessey and freshman Jadrian Flores are certainly keys to the future success for the Huntley boys basketball program.
But it was seniors Connor Boesch and David Cruz who headlined the Red Raiders' 45-38 win over host Dundee-Crown in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division action in Carpentersville Friday night.
Boesch provided the inside muscle for the Red Raiders (8-14, 3-5) with 8 points, 10 rebounds 3 blocked shots and 6 assists.
" I was really struggling offensively so I had to help the team in other ways," said Boesch. "I was really looking for the open man. It was a good overall team win."
Cruz, who was a proficient 3-of-5 from 3-point range, led Huntley with 12 points.
"Coach (Will Benson) wants me to let it fly when I am in the game," said Cruz. "I was able to get some good looks and make some 3s. We got some momentum in the second quarter and it carried through the second half."
Trailing 8-7 after a slow-paced first quarter, the Red Raiders, spearheaded by three 3-pointers from Cruz, were able to take control in the second quarter.
The senior guard's third basket from beyond the arc ended a 12-3 run and gave Huntley a 19-11 advantage with 2:27 left before halftime.
The Red Raiders continued the momentum gained in the second quarter into the third quarter.
Huntley's biggest lead of the game was 13, 32-19, after a putback from Makomborero Tizora with 38 seconds left in the third quarter.
Caleb Parson canned a 3-pointer for the Chargers (6-16, 2-6) to beat the buzzer to cut Huntley's deficit to 10, 32-22, after 24 minutes.
The closest D-C got in the fourth quarter was 6, 40-34, after a 3-pointer by freshman Jack Orndahl with 1:46 left.
Flores connected on 5-of-6 free throws in the last 45 seconds to seal the win for the Red Raiders.
"This is probably our best team win of the season," said Huntley coach Will Benson. "We made more shots and winning plays than we have made recently. Our defense has been good the last 4 to 6 weeks and it was very good tonight."
Orndahl led Dundee-Crown with 12 points while Kiwaun Seals scored 11.
"We missed a lot of easy shots and that hurt," said Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber. "Huntley played well defensively and really executed their offense."