Brunschon scores 30 to lead Huntley
Huntley boys basketball coach Marty Manning knew his team needed to stop sending Sycamore's Sam Ford to the free-throw line.
Ford (22 points) had helped erase a 13-point Huntley halftime lead by making 8 of 9 free throws in the third quarter. Huntley allowed him just 1 trip to the foul line in the fourth quarter and outscored host Sycamore 24-13 in the final quarter to take a 62-49 victory. The win propels the Red Raiders into the championship game of the Leland G. Strombom tournament hosted by Sycamore. Huntley, which last won the tournament title in 2006, faces Hampshire at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the championship game.
"We were just letting him kill us," Manning said of Ford's third-quarter efforts. "I was happy with the composure of the team and their willingness to fight to win."
Tyler Brunschon showed that fight as he finished with a game-high 30 points, including nailing 5 of 7 free throws in the fourth quarter to help secure the Red Raiders' win. Sycamore guard Luke Johnson brought the host Spartans (1-1) to within 40-39 after splitting a pair of free throws with 5:48 left in the game.
Sophomore Justin Frederick scored on the next Huntley (2-0) possession to kick off a 15-2 run that put the Red Raiders up 55-41. The Red Raiders shot 4 of 8 from the floor in the fourth quarter, while Sycamore missed 9 of its first 10 shots.
Brunschon scored to put Huntley up 51-41 with 2:14 left to play. After a Sycamore timeout, Huntley forced a turnover, with Brunschon this time converting a 3-point play on Huntley's next trip down the floor.
"We switched to a 2-3 zone and our defense stepped up really big," the junior guard said. "My teammates were looking for me and finding me."
Brunschon sank three 3-pointers in the second quarter and Huntley went 6 of 8 from the floor, including 6 of 7 from long range. Troy Miller (10 points) nailed a pair of long-distance bombs and Mason Kaniewski hit a 3-pointer to give Huntley a 28-15 halftime lead. Brunschon went 6 of 9 from the floor in the first half.