Sports
Red Raiders Fall in Sectional Title Game
Huntley can't get on track, falling to Auburn 59-31 in Class 4A Jacobs Sectional title game
For the past month and a half, everything has gone right for Huntley.
The Red Raiders came into Friday night’s IHSA Class 4A Jacobs Sectional final with a 13-game winning streak and were in their first sectional final in three years. The Auburn Knights however made sure that Huntley’s fun would end, making eight 3-pointers in pounding the Red Raiders 59-31 in front of a sellout crowd of over 2,300 in Algonquin.
Things didn’t go well from start to finish for Huntley as Auburn scored the first seven points of the game and held Huntley scoreless for almost six minutes in opening up a 14-5 lead after one quarter. Auburn poured it on in the second quarter, scoring the first ten points to take their lead to 19 and would lead 28-9 at the half.
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After Auburn added the first seven points of the third quarter to take a 35-9 advantage, the Red Raiders made their lone run of the contest during a 12-2 run to pull within 37-21 but could not get any closer. Troy Miller and Amanze Egekeze each scored nine to lead Huntley (25-5), who finished with the second-most wins in a single season in school history. Huntley coach Marty Manning said his team had plenty of chances.
“We got a lot of good shots, lot of good looks at the basket, some in close, some open threes. We just weren’t able to make them,” Manning said. “I thought because we dug ourselves a hole like that gave them (Auburn), shooting jump shots not as much pressure on them and that just hurt us.”
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The game ended the high school careers of Tyler Brunschon and Dylan Neukirch and with the majority of this year’s team returning next season, Manning had a message for his returning players.
“I told them if they want to do more in the state tournament, then they better get a lot better because these are the type of teams you play in Sweet 16 games and Elite Eight games,” Manning said. “If we were able to win this game, it wouldn’t have been easier the next game. It’s a learning experience for them, which is tough to talk about when you got Dylan and Tyler in the locker room talking about next year but I’m hoping it will help them understand what they have to get better for next year more than anything.”
