This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Senior Pair Takes Charge for Young Huntley Team

The Patch Hardwood Tour examines boys high school basketball on a weekly rotational basis, focusing on teams in a 12-town region.

“The only thing that Huntley lacks is size.”

That’s what I wrote in my notes as I watched the Red Raiders topple Jacobs from the ranks of the undefeated in the Fox Valley Valley conference on Tuesday. With the win, which took place on their opponent’s home court, the young Huntley club seized sole possession of first place in the division.

It was a contest worthy of the stakes, with the Red Raiders finally emerging victorious in overtime on the right side of a 52-49 score. Meanwhile, the season winds down to its final two weeks prior to state tournament play.

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After the game Huntley coach Marty Manning echoed my scribbled concern about his team even while praising the effort that has led to an 19-4 season (7-1 in conference) and comparing it to past round-ball winners he’s coached.

“The first team I had here (at Huntley, the 23-6 team of 2006-07) we had a lot of talent and size. The tough thing with this group is we have no big guys. But they have a lot of talent and a lot of heart.”

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The tallest starters for Huntley are its two seniors, both 6-foot-3, Dylan Neukirch and Tyler Brunschon.  Both played bigger than their size against Jacobs, stepping up and seizing the day, especially with junior sharpshooter Troy Miller plagued by foul trouble all night long and eventually going to the bench with five. Neukirch was the game’s high scorer with 21 and Brunschon added 11 while hounding Jacobs’ top scorer Nick Hofman defensively all night long. It was Brunschon who delivered a game-changing 3-pointer in the waning moments of the fourth quarter that finally gave the Red Raiders the lead and forced Jacobs to come out of its slow-down offense.  And it was Neukirch and Brunschon who combined for 13 of 14 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and overtime to seal the victory. 

All 11 of Huntley’s overtime points came at the charity stripe, underlining the poise of this Red Raiders club.

“Those two really stepped up, especially at the end of the game,” said Manning of his seniors. “That was great to see because they did not have a good game the last time we played Jacobs (a 49-46 loss).”

Like any good coach, Manning focused on flaws that still need to be corrected in order for his team to grab its first Valley division title and make a long run in the state tournament. (The Red Raiders won a title in the Fox division in Manning’s first year as coach but have not captured a Valley crown since changing divisions in the conference three seasons ago.)

“We need to be more disciplined, especially defensively,” he said.

He pointed to Miller fouling out as an example, saying that the junior guard was out of position all night long, bringing on his eventual elimination from the game.

“I don’t think he’s had more than two fouls in a game more than a few times all year.  This is one of the smartest players we have,” said the coach. “He’s one of the smartest kids in the school, for that matter. And we need him to play that way and stay on the court.”

According to Manning, Miller’s play has been a huge part of the Red Raiders’ success this season.  The tough, wiry junior is second on the team in scoring to Brunschon, delivering close to 13 points a game, about double his average of a year ago.

“We knew he was really improved over the summer,” said Manning. “He really worked hard. But you never know if the improvement will translate and become reality when the real season starts. And it has.”

Huntley continued its quest for the conference title with a 51-40 win over Dundee-Crown Friday night.

Unbeaten bubble bursts for Jacobs in double-dip weekend

Prior to this week the Jacobs Golden Eagles presented a contrast in records, suffering nine losses this season, but zero setbacks in the Fox Valley Valley conference, where they sat atop the standings at 4-0.

That has all changed.

After losing in overtime to Huntley on Tuesday for their first conference blemish of the year, the Eagles then fell again Friday night to Crystal Lake South 64-53.  Both were teams that Jacobs had bested the first time around in divisional play.

Every team has at least one weakness, and in the case of the Golden Eagles, it’s the lack of scoring from its big men. This club is heavily dependent on points from senior guards Nick Hofman and Mike Peterson, and both are excellent outside marksmen who deliver as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

I’ve seen Jacobs play three times now and I’ve yet to see them win. This doesn’t mean they’re a bad team, as their 12-11 overall record (4-2 in conference) indicates.  They seem to get the most out of their talent. But the back-to-back set-backs this past week demonstrate how difficult it is to win consistently without inside scoring. In the three games I’ve seen coach Jim Hinkle’s team play; his big men have been in double figures just twice.

Like Huntley, the team they now trail in the conference standings, Jacobs does not boast overwhelming size. Its tallest starter is junior Alex Glover, a 6-foot-4 center.  Still, the Golden Eagles will have to find a way to get more than the 11 points their two starting forwards and center contributed against Huntley.

The good news for Jacobs is that after early season concerns, Hofman’s bad knee seems to be holding up to the rigors of a full basketball season.  He drove hard to the basket a number of times against Huntley, complementing his usual outside game nicely.

Additionally, the Golden Eagles have three winnable games this coming week against Cary-Grove, Dundee-Crown and Libertyville. They’ve beaten the first two teams already this year and can remain in the hunt by doing so again.

But there are no guarantees for Jacobs, a team that has to scrap for every one of its wins and could just as easily go 0-3 next week.

Lake Forest improving, but North Suburban competition rugged

I have high hopes for the future of the young Lake Forest Scouts, but they have fierce times ahead in their quest to climb to the top of the North Suburban Conference’ s Lake Division.

This campaign, the Scouts, with a roster filled with sophomores and juniors, will have to be content with hovering about the .500 mark. This is no small accomplishment when one considers the competition in the division, which year in and out produces two or three powerhouse teams.

I saw the Scouts lose at Zion-Benton 67-56 on Wednesday. Lake Forest junior forward Thomas Durrett was outstanding with 24 points, with heady sophomore Carter Bass chipping in with 12. The pair will be excellent pieces for coach Phil LaScala to build his team on next season. Five other juniors and another sophomore shuffled in and out for the Scouts in the Zion game, contributing with various degrees of effectiveness as they have all season. The game was a microcosm of the entire basketball year for the fledgling team, with Lake Forest fading in and out of actual contention, looking excellent at times and without a clue at others.

They will be better next year, no doubt, especially with a year of experience under their collective belt.

The problem is this: Zion-Benton boasts a player on its team whose sheer talent is likely to trump any experience the Scouts will gain this season. Milik Yarbrough, a 6-foot-4 freshman man-child, scored 31 points on six field goals, four 3-pointers and seven free throws in as many attempts. Every time Lake Forest got within shouting distance, Yarbrough responded. This included back-to-back treys launched over the Lake Forest zone after the Scouts had scrapped their way back to within eight in the fourth quarter. I can think of few players I’ve seen this season who are better than this freshman and none who have better potential to totally dominate the future.

Yarbrough has a number of talented underclassmen who will join him in the next few years. Within two seasons at the most, Zion-Benton should be the dominant force in the Lake.

On Saturday night, Lake Forest (11-12, 3-8) ran into the current Lake power, the Warren Blue Devils, who dealt them a 58-46 defeat. Warren is already a highly ranked team in the Chicago area and will return all of its key players next season.  

So between dealing with Warren and Zion-Benton through the 2014 season Lake Forest (to say nothing of the other Patch.com teams from Libertyville and Lake Zurich) will have its hands full. The Scouts may show dramatic improvement next season and beyond and still not come close to sniffing a championship in the Lake Division of the North Suburban Conference.

It’s that tough of a league.

Filling the Lanes: Other noteworthy accomplishments last week

Biggest Wins

(19-4, 9-1) got revenge and then some against the Grayslake North Knights (16-6, 8-3) the only team to defeat them in the Fox Valley Fox conference by destroying the visitors 71-49. The victory clinched at least a tie for the division championship for the Tigers.

Grayslake North Knights (16-6, 8-3) preceded their disappointing loss to Crystal Lake Central with their first basketball victory ever over the rival Grayslake Central Rams. The Monday home game was all North, 56-40, and snapped a nine-game losing streak to the cross-town team.

Huntley Red Raiders (19-4, 7-1): Bested Fox Valley Valley front-runner Jacobs in overtime (see top column item) to take over first place in the conference.

 

Multiple-Win Week

Cary-Grove Trojans (10-13, 4-4): Went 2-0 for the week with a pair of Fox Valley Valley conference wins against Crystal Lake South and McHenry.

Crystal Lake Central Tigers (19-4, 9-1): Plowed through their two Fox Valley Fox opponents by 22 points each, taking out Prairie-Ridge, and more impressively, Grayslake North .

Grayslake Central Rams (13-10, 8-3): Lost biggest game of three played last week to rival Grayslake North, then took it out on two other Fox Valley Fox foes from Woodstock and Johnsburg with 17- and 24-point wins.

Huntley Red Raiders (19-4, 7-1): Bested a pair of Fox Valley Valley conference foes, downing  Jacobs, then Dundee-Crown to take over the league’s top spot.

Stevenson Patriots (12-11, 4-7): The Patriots took advantage of a break in the schedule that gave them three consecutive games against teams with losing records. Stevenson took care of the trio (Round Lake, Glenbard West and Lake Zurich), though only Round Lake was handled with ease. The wins put the Patriots back above .500 for the year.

Streaking

Huntley Red Raiders: Seven in a row, eight of last nine.

Crystal Lake Tigers: Six in a row, nine of last 10.

Buffalo Grove Bison: Four victories in a row and five in last six games.

Stevenson Patriots: Three wins in a row follows three straight losses.

Noteworthy

Prairie Ridge (4-18, 2-7): Broke a seven-game losing streak with a one-point road win against Woodstock North.

Rating the Top Teams on the Hardwood Tour

  1. Huntley Red Raiders (19-4) Took over first in Fox Valley Fox with pair of conference wins.
  2. Crystal Lake Central Tigers (19-4) Destroyed Grayslake North in rematch; can clinch division Tuesday.
  3. Barrington Broncos (17-8) Split pair but lost the big one to Schaumburg in conference.
  4. Fremd Vikings (16-8) Still in the hunt for Mid-Suburban West title with win against Hoffman Estates.     
  5. Buffalo Grove Bison (16-8) Sweated out win against Wheeling to stay in Mid-Suburban East chase.
  6. Jacobs Golden Eagles (12-11) Took double-dip in conference to fall out of first.
  7. Grayslake North Knights (16-6) Won big vs. Grayslake Central, lost big vs. Crystal Lake Central.
  8. Crystal Lake South Gators (12-10) Sybil-like week, losing to Cary-Grove, then besting Jacobs.
  9. Dundee-Crown Chargers (11-11) Two conference losses, to McHenry and Huntley.
  10. Grayslake Central Rams (13-10) First loss ever to Grayslake North followed by two cupcake wins
  11. Stevenson Patriots (12-11) Three-game win streak gets them back on list, bumping Lake Forest.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?