Huntley made a push, but Carson Trivellini and Crystal Lake South fired right back during Fox Valley Conference action Wednesday.

Isaac Muze drilled a 3-pointer to even the score at 28-28 after the Red Raiders started the second half with a seven-point deficit. With the Gators needing an answer, Trivellini took control of the Crystal Lake South offense, driving to the rim for key layups or dump-off passes to open teammates underneath the basket.

Trivellini, an Illinois baseball commit, scored a team-high 17 points and was one of two Gators to dish out four assists as Crystal Lake South fought off Huntley for a 54-49 victory in FVC play. Junior guard Nick Stowasser, who chipped in 10 points and five rebounds, was the other four-assist man for the Gators (3-4, 2-1 FVC).

“We have a bunch of new faces, and I’m just trying to get all of the guys involved,” Trivellini said. “I’ve been passing the ball and not just scoring, but making plays for my team.

“We’ve been talking about having high energy and getting everyone involved. If we don’t have the ball, then we need to set screens and make plays.”

Huntley (2-5, 2-1 FVC) held a 12-10 lead after the first quarter, where 6-foot-5 forward Isaiah Onu fueled the Red Raiders with his effort on the boards. Onu, who scored seven points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, held his own against a sizable Crystal Lake South frontcourt that featured a trio of 6-foot-6 forwards.

“If I’m not scoring, then I’m going for rebounds so I can give my teammates an open look or give myself a second-chance option,” Onu said. “Every single game, I want to get a lot of rebounds so I can give myself more opportunities. ... I thought we played very good defense and we rebounded the heck out of the ball.”

A triple from Trivellini off a Stowasser assist helped Crystal Lake South start the second quarter strong. Despite Muze sinking a fadeaway mid-range jumper near the baseline as the first-half buzzer expired, the Gators built a 26-19 halftime advantage. The team’s 3-2 zone defense stifled Huntley throughout the first half.

“It’s a different look from our 1-3-1, which is our main defense,” Stowasser said. “We’ve been struggling with our defense a little bit this year, but I think we’re finally starting to put it together in practice. ... Being in the right spot and playing with high energy wins a lot of games.

“It’s good to get that win under our belt.”

Foul trouble hurt the Gators in the third quarter, where seven fouls in roughly two minutes put the Red Raiders into the bonus for most of the period. Despite foul woes, Trivellini ignited a 14-3 run that allowed the Gators to carry a 42-29 lead into the fourth quarter.

“We’ve been trying to find our ground since we have a lot of new faces, but I’m proud of how we played tonight,” Trivellini said.

Facing a double-digit deficit, Huntley cranked up the energy in the fourth quarter, where the Red Raiders secured multiple offensive rebounds and drained clutch 3-pointers to bring Crystal Lake South within two points. Muze, who led all scorers with 20 points, hit a pair of triples to ignite the Huntley offense.

“As a team, we just have to stay together,” Muze said. “Our big thing was defense and rebounding on the defensive end. If we executed that better, then we would’ve had a better chance.”

Senior guard Aidan Gibbs, who briefly exited after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face during the second half, buried a key triple after returning to the floor to make the score 46-41 and force a Crystal Lake South timeout. Gibbs, who made two fourth-quarter 3s, finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

Noah Cook, one of the three 6-foot-6 Gator forwards, collected eight points and four rebounds to aid Crystal Lake South, which owned a 13-6 advantage in bench scoring.

The Gators will host Burlington Central on Friday, while Huntley will travel for an FVC matchup against Cary-Grove that same night.