‘An amazing season’: Huntley’s 35 wins set the bar high for McHenry County

Huntley senior forward Madison Diaz scored the final point of the season at the free-throw line with tears running down her cheeks as the last seconds of a running clock ticked away during the Red Raiders' 57-33 loss to Loyola in a Class 4A Warren Supersectional on Monday night.

The Red Raiders were trying to pull off a rare perfect season, something Loyola did last year on its way to a state championship.

Huntley, though, had already accomplished so much.

The Red Raiders (35-1) shattered the school record for wins in a season, topping the 30 the 2016 team achieved. According to IHSA records, the 35 wins are the most in area history. The previous high was set by Milt Awe’s Hampshire Whip-Purs in 2003 (32-2).

This year’s team also claimed its fourth consecutive Fox Valley Conference championship, during which the Raiders are an astonishing 70-2 since the start of the 2021-22 season.

Huntley senior guard Anna Campanelli, who will play next season at NCAA Division I Kent State, has been a part of all four of those FVC titles and is the first four-time FVC champion in team history.

Campanelli played two years with her sister Sammi, now a sophomore at Lewis University, and said she was blessed to be a part of so many good teams with many talented players. She ends her career as a top-five scorer in team history.

“I came in with a great senior group that took me in,” Campanelli said. “They really helped me grow as a player. ... Obviously being a leader on this team the last couple of years, I’ve been fortunate to be around so many great players. I’m super proud of all of our team and what we’ve become.”

Led by their three senior starters, Campanelli, forward Paula Strzelecki and guard Ava McFadden, the Raiders erased memories of the past two years, in which they lost two regional finals by a combined four points.

“I’m super proud of all of our team and what we’ve become.”

—  Anna Campanelli, Huntley senior guard

Raethz said the Raiders didn’t feel overwhelmed by Monday’s opportunity.

Huntley was trying to reach state for only the second time in program history.

“We had three really solid days of prep time leading into it. Our kids were ready to go, it just didn’t go our way tonight,” Raethz said. “It’s a tough one, because everybody in that locker room wanted to extend their season and have another week together. That’s the tough part, just knowing how bad these kids wanted it. But at the same time they have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about.

“They should be so proud of what they accomplished. It was just an amazing season.”

A long way: Raethz, an Illinois High School Coaches Association Hall of Famer (Class of 2024), reflected on how far the Raiders have come. In his first season in 1999-2000, Huntley struggled to a 2-23 record. It wasn’t long until Raethz’s Raiders turned it around.

Huntley won its first regional title in 2003, going 20-9, and has 12 in program history, all under Raethz. This year’s sectional championship was the team’s fourth – and the Raiders also have one state appearance in 2013 (fourth place in Class 4A).

“Obviously, there were challenges early on,” said Raethz, who is 481-289 in 26 seasons at the school. “We went through our growing pains, and those days aren’t lost on me. We’ve had a lot of players come through the program who consistently help lay the foundation for success.

“This group really set the bar high with what they accomplished. I’m just so proud of them and very grateful for the opportunity to coach them. The bonds forged this season don’t end with this game. Those ties and bonds carry through forever. It’s a special group and they hold a special place in our program.”

Super stretch: A super second-half stretch put Cary-Grove in a super position last week against Grayslake Central in their Class 3A North Chicago Sectional final.

The Trojans turned a five-point deficit early in the third quarter into a six-point lead with 4:48 left in regulation. But the dream of the program’s fourth sectional title and first supersectional trip since 1989 didn’t turn into reality in a 33-31 overtime loss to the Rams.

“The first half you could definitely see some nerves with the turnovers,” Trojans senior Ellie Mjaanes said. “In the second half we felt a lot more comfortable and were playing together more. That was a big difference.

“You never really like to get too comfortable because basketball is a game of runs, but everyone was excited and it was a special moment.”

That was with 6:48 remaining in regulation when the Rams were forced to call a timeout. The Trojans just capped a 10-point run for a 27-21 lead, when 5-foot-6 guard Kennedy Manning turned an offensive rebound into her fifth assist to Avery Stortz for a layup.

Manning, a junior, had just sank a 22-foot shot from the top of the key to start the fourth quarter. An assist to senior Sam Skerl for her second 3 and a transition layup gave C-G its first lead at 22-21 with 44 seconds left in the third.

Skerl scored all 12 of her points after halftime. Her 4-for-4 free-throw shooting gave the Trojans leads of 29-23 at 4:48 and 31-26 at 4:28.

“The plan worked to perfection,” C-G coach Tony Moretti said. “We held them to 33 points and we felt if we held them under 50, we’d be in good shape.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these girls. I didn’t think it was possible to have a group of kids come together the way this group did. Their effort tonight was exactly what I would expect.”

The Trojans finished 25-8 overall and its only two FVC losses were to undefeated Huntley.

“From the beginning of the year we had our eyes on being in this spot,” Mjaanes said. “We were fighting every day and every practice, and I’m so proud to be with this group. It was something special.”

Big-time matchup: A lot of attention in Thursday’s sectional championship between C-G and Grayslake Central was understandably focused on Division I players Mjaanes (Lehigh) and Green Bay-bound Madison Hoffmann of Grayslake Central.

Mjaanes scored eight of her 10 points in the first half to keep C-G in striking distance and added seven rebounds. Hoffmann scored 14 of her 15 points after halftime and had seven rebounds and three assists.

“Great players rise to the occasion, and it was the same with Mjaanes for them,” Central coach Steve Ikenn said. “She was great too. You had two great D-I players making plays for their teams tonight.”

Grayslake Central’s only other points in the final 20 minutes came on a 3-pointer by Hoffmann’s sophomore sister Peyton.

“We were trying to get the high post covered up and she made a couple of big shots,” Moretti said of Madison Hoffmann. “That’s why she’s a big-time D-I player, and so is ours.”

• Shaw Local correspondent Marty Maciaszek also contributed to this report.