Huntley edges Cary-Grove to take 2nd in FVC
On a night in which Huntley celebrated its senior class, it was notably ironic that a sophomore stepped up and stole the show.
Jessica Ozzauto hadn't scored a point in the first three quarters, but she saved her best for the game's final eight minutes. Ozzauto scored 10 of her team's 14 fourth-quarter points, including two clinching free throws in the finals minute in Huntley's 39-37 Fox Valley Conference victory over Cary-Grove.
The win propels the Red Raiders (8-2, 7-1) to the No. 2 seed in the FVC Tournament that begins Saturday. Cary-Grove (6-2, 6-2) saw its six-game winning streak come to an end and will be the No. 3 seed.
"I was definitely ready to score. I wanted the ball and I wanted this game bad," Ozzauto said. "I made it a point to drive to the basket more and look to shoot or look to get it to my teammates. It was good to end with a win."
The game featured scoring spurts by both teams. Huntley held a 23-16 lead with 3:11 to play in the third quarter before C-G responded with eight straight points to take a 24-23 lead. Emily Lukowski (17 points, 8 rebounds) scored five points in the run.
C-G took its final lead at 30-29 on a Lukowski layup. Ozzauto responded by draining a 3-pointer and adding four free throws during a 9-4 spree to give the hosts a 39-34 advantage. Lukowski nailed a long 3 with 34 seconds to play to make it 39-37. Huntley then turned the ball over but Cary-Grove couldn't convert in the game's final seconds.
"We knew this was going to be a physical game, we knew it would be a war," C-G coach Tony Moretti said. "We had too many mistakes in the first half, too many missed opportunities. But I tell you, I am so proud of these girls. They always come to play. We just needed to make one more play."
Kamsi Nwogu added 10 points for Huntley, which connected on 16-of-39 shots (41%). The Raiders' defense was key during stretches of the contest. It held C-G without a field goal from the 4:25 mark of the first quarter until 1:26 remained in the half.
"This is the kind of game you expected between two solid teams. Cary-Grove is really well-coached, but I thought our defense made some great plays," Raiders coach Steve Raethz said. "Our players faced a lot of adversity when (C-G) took the lead, but we kept our composure and responded. Jessi made some key buckets for us in the fourth quarter, which were huge. This was just a great night for our seniors. I'm so proud of all seven of our seniors."
For the game, C-G shot 13-for 33 (39%) and committed 18 turnovers. Lauren Passaglia added 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Trojans.