Gorney sparks Huntley in Egekeze's return

But another junior, 6-4 forward Zach Gorney, provided even more of an impact.

Gorney hit 8 of 14 shots, including his first two of the second half to give Huntley a little gap against Crystal Lake South, and the Red Raiders rode that momentum to a 55-42 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division boys basketball victory Tuesday night.

“That felt really good,” said Gorney, who scored a career-best 23 points and hit two 3-pointers in the second half. “Everyone dreams of having one of those games. My teammates were hitting me in the right spot to score all night.”

Huntley (9-5 overall, 3-0 FVC Valley) had its lead, once at 11, cut to four by the end of the third quarter, but Gorney converted a three-point play and hit a 3-point basket to open the fourth quarter, and the Raiders led by at least six the rest of the way.

“I’ve been most impressed with Zach’s defense,” Huntley coach Marty Manning said. “I told our coaches I didn’t remember yelling at Zach about defense for about six games. He can shoot; this kind of game is always in him.”

The two-time defending FVC Valley champion Raiders played well without Egekeze, an NCAA Division I recruit who had surgery for patellar tendinitis in his right knee in late September. He was cleared by his orthopedic surgeon Monday and played about half of Tuesday’s game.

“He was better than I thought he’d be and contributed more than I thought he would,” Manning said. “I think the doctor gave [Egekeze] peace of mind yesterday when he told him there was nothing he could do to hurt it.”

Egekeze hit 4 of 10 field goals, grabbed four rebounds and finished with nine points.

“It was awesome, I really enjoyed it,” Egekeze said. “It’s been a long time coming. I think I’m about 65 percent. The doctor said I can’t do much harm to it, that’s a big relief. I can just go out and play freer. I felt really good.”