Strong showing

Huntley's Mercedez Kennedy takes a shot against Woodstock North in the second quarter Monday in Huntley. The Raiders defeated the Thunder, 54-32. (Lauren M. Anderson - landerson@nwherald.com)

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HUNTLEY – After the first quarter, Huntley girls basketball coach Steve Raethz began to recognize his team.

The intensity with which the Red Raiders played against Woodstock North on Monday, coupled with solid shot selection and defensive pressure, matched the style of basketball Huntley seeks to play.

The 54-32 win against the Thunder in a Fox Valley Conference crossover gave Huntley the footing it sought heading into one of the most critical weeks of its young season. Kadie Lowery and Amanda Wisniewski led Huntley with 10 points each.

Dominating for four quarters has been the goal all season, but it has been more difficult than Huntley anticipated, making Monday’s win the potential start of a turnaround as the Raiders (4-2) prepare to take on Bartlett, Crystal Lake South and Jacobs in the coming days before starting the Mundelein Holiday Classic on Dec. 18.

“It’s crucial for us to get off on the right foot, especially in [FVC Valley] Division play,” Raethz said.

“This is not an easy stretch at all for us in a lot of different ways. We have to be ready to play every game, make corrections and take steps in the right direction. I’m pleased that we’re playing more consistently now, though.”

With the way the Raiders will be tested from now until after the new year, playing their best game moves from a long-term goal to a necessity quickly.

“We ran through things a lot better today,” junior point guard Carly Goede said. “This was definitely the way we want to play. On Saturday we had a really good practice; everyone was really pushing, and I thought it carried over a lot into today’s game.”

Huntley opened a 26-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, thanks in part to 10 points from Lowery, eight from Wisniewski and five from Goede.

The Thunder (3-5) never recovered from the early hole, although they were outscored by only two, 28-26, through the next three quarters. The Thunder got within 26-12 with 6 minutes left in the second quarter on an Ashley Albertz basket, but Huntley put together a 10-3 run to close the first half.

Thunder freshman guard Emma Everly’s back-to-back three-pointers in the middle of the third quarter made the score 43-25, but Wisniewski hit two free throws, and CeCe Tsevas scored a buzzer-beating reverse layup to finish the third.

Aleecia Braun led North with 10 points, and Everly added nine.

“The first quarter did it for us,” Thunder coach Mike Lewis said. “ ... [And] there were eight times I counted that we didn’t run our inbound plays correctly. When you’re not running your own plays right, you’re basically beating yourself.

“We know we’re not going to come in and have other teams thinking that we’re going to win. We’re very, very young, but we have a lot of talent, and ... I’m proud of what we’ve done so far.”