The Jan. 8 match-up against Huntley was the game Barrington hoped to have played in their semifinal contest at the Jacobs Holiday Tournament.  One where they battle back from a deficit and win.  At Jacobs, after falling behind early in their 52-50 loss to the Red Raiders, the Broncos battled back only to fail to hold the lead in their losing effort.

“At Jacobs we were kind of flat and then got down by 14 points in the second half,” Barrington’s coach Bryan Tucker said.  “We did a great job coming back; we just didn’t make the play down the stretch.”

But on Saturday that wasn’t the issue.  Barrington and Huntley battled throughout much of the game, as the contest saw 10 tie or lead changes (8 in the first half alone) during the heated rematch, with the biggest lead change happening early in the fourth quarter that helped ignite the Bronco offense onto a 58-46 victory over the Red Raiders.

“Tonight we had the lead and they made the run to get close,” Coach Tucker said.  “We were able to respond to their run and I think playing at home made us feel more comfortable.”

Barrington started down briefly at 6-2 but responded with an offensive surge to end the quarter as they ended on an 11-6 run thanks to five consecutive points poured in by sharp-shooting senior guard Tyler Weathered.  Weathered backed up last night's five of five three point performance with another fine display behind the arc.  He scored 13 points on the game, and hit three three pointers.

Huntley responded to the Broncos with a 9-6 run to open the second frame and used a familiar combination from the Jacobs Tournament of senior forward Dylan Neukirch and senior guard Tyler Brunschon.  The two Red Raider players were responsible for scoring all but three field goals for Huntley in the first half as Neukirch ended the game with 9 points and Brunschon scored a team high 13.

In a game of runs, the Broncos would respond by ending the quarter on an 11-2 run thanks to defense and an individual scoring performance by junior forward John Schneider.  Helping to end the half with the Broncos up 30-23, Schneider’s hustle spurred him to a 9 point quarter in route to a game high 18 points.  Schneider also added 3 blocks and 9 rebounds in an all around total effort.

“When the point guards get steals like they did tonight or when we get a defensive stop like a block, it boosts the team’s moral,” Schneider said.  “It gets everyone fired up.”

“[Schneider] is a tough match-up because he scores from inside or outside,” Coach Tucker said of his forward.  “He’s really starting to come into his own and does so much for us.  Teams know about him and try to take him out of the equation, but he is learning to play through that.”

Coming out of halftime found both teams flat as the score remained 30-23 for nearly two minutes, but then Huntley hit a groove and went on a 7-1 run as Barrington remained without a field goal until the 3:30 mark.  Huntley’s junior forward Justin Frederick scored 7 (of his 9 total points) in the quarter and helped pull the Red Raiders to within one, but Barrington managed to weather the Red Raider storm and held onto a 38-35 lead into the final quarter.

But the fourth didn’t start as expected for Barrington when Huntley, at 39-38, grabbed their first lead since late in the first half after Red Raider consecutive baskets forced Barrington’s Coach Tucker to call a time out.

“Barrington was much more physical than us and got a bunch of offensive rebounds that they were able to score with that first half,” Huntley Coach Mart Manning said.  “I thought the second half we were able to get some of our own rebounds and we took that lead; but then had some defensive breakdowns and gave it right back.”

After Tucker’s time out, junior forward Mark Bennett made his presence officially felt as he answered the break with a physical move in the lane that recaptured the lead for the Broncos and kick started them on a 15-2 run that would put the game away for Barrington. 

Bennett’s two huge blocked shots on crucial offensive pieces for the Red Raiders only gave the forward more steam as he then capped the scoring surge with the basket the put the Broncos ahead for good.  Bennett ended with 8 points, six of which occurred during the key Bronco run that pushed the score to 53-41, and added four blocks. 

“When I made that first basket it got [the team] excited,” Bennett said.  “Then we just fed off the crowds’ excitement.”

“That says a lot about these guys and their character,” Tucker said of the team’s resiliency to battle back so many times through out the game, especially during that last few minutes of the game.  “A lesser team might have flinched in that spot but we took a time-out to regroup, got a good look and then started to get some stops."

We play a team like [Barrington] because it's a good measuring stick for us,” Coach Manning said of Huntley’s 58-46 loss to Barrington.  “It's good for us to play teams like this because we learned we have to be more physical.”

Barrington’s upcoming schedule is light and they only play four games over the next three weeks with their next match-up in about a week.  The Broncos will be at Hoffman Estates, Saturday, Jan. 15 at 7:30p.m.to play an important mid-season, MSL West conference away game.