(Sugar Grove, IL) – The battle for first place in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) standings featured 15 ties and 18 lead changes before Waubonsee Community College prevailed 88-77 over Morton College. The 13th ranked Chiefs (15-2, 3-0) finally pulled away in the final five minutes to move into sole possession of the ISCC lead ahead of the Panthers (11-6, 2-1).
A steal and two-handed, breakaway dunk by Morton's Lionel Strickland highlighted the early going as the teams' traded baskets. Just as anticipated, the evenly matched teams were tied half a dozen times through the initial five minutes of play. A long three-pointer by Donovan Brown then put Waubonsee in front 14-11. Two minutes later Donovan Taylor scored on a power move to the rim to keep the Chiefs ahead by three points. However, Morton pulled ahead 19-18 at the midway point of the first half.
The teams' continued to trade two-point and three-point baskets as the lead went back and forth. A triple by Duane Doss knotted the score at 26-all with seven minutes left in the first half. Morton's Adrian Anderson responded with a trey of his own before Doss answered with another basket from beyond the arc seconds later to deadlock the score at 29. A three-point play by Reece Boyd put Waubonsee in front 32-31 with five minutes to go until halftime. An acrobatic reverse lay-in by Boyd two minutes later got the crowd excited and the Chiefs within a point at 37-36. A high arching, fadeaway jumper by Strickland put the Panthers ahead 41-35 with a minute remaining in the first half, the biggest lead for either team to that point. The entertaining half, which featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes, ended with Morton clinging to that five-point advantage.
A great pass by Doss to Boyd for an easy lay-in got things started in the second half. The Chiefs pulled even at 42-all on a pair of free throws by David Robinson three minutes after the intermission. Waubonsee finally pulled ahead again, the 14th lead change of the game, 47-44 on the trey by Dylan Fuzak from directly in front of the Chiefs' bench. A pair of lay-ups in traffic by Doss suddenly put Waubonsee ahead 52-44, their biggest lead of the game up to then, after five minutes of second half action. The Panthers battled back and tied the game at 56 three minutes later via a three-pointer by Anderson. Morton then held a 61-58 lead at the midway point of the second half. A driving lay-up by Zachariah Hayslett put the Chiefs in front once again at 64-63 with eight minutes to go.
A trey from the right corner by Boyd extended Waubonsee's lead to six points at 69-63 a minute later. The Chiefs upped their lead to double digits with five minutes remaining at 75-65 on a pair of free throws. A short time later Doss darted down the lane for a lay-in to keep Waubonsee ahead by 10 points. A reverse lay-up by Fernando Perez off an inbounds pass increased the Chiefs' lead to 81-69 with three minutes left. A moment later Robinson would not be denied, scoring down low after snagging a pair of offensive rebounds. The Chiefs were then able to hold off the Panthers by making six free throws down the stretch to finish off their 15th win of the season.
Perez led Waubonsee with 18 points and five rebounds. Brown ended the game with 17 points, seven assists, three steals and five boards. Boyd finished with 17 points, while Doss added 15 points and dished out eight assists. Fuzak registered eight rebounds and handed out three assists, and Robinson chipped in with eight points and three assists. Strickland led all scorers with 25 points, and Anderson tallied 19 points for the Panthers.
Waubonsee's next home game is this coming Thursday, January 25, when they host the College of Lake County (6-10, 0-3) starting at 7:15 p.m. (CDT). The women's contest between the Chiefs and Lancers is set to begin at 5:15 p.m. The Chiefs are also at home next Saturday, January 27, when coach Jim Williams' women's squad hosts Carl Sandburg College at 1:00 p.m. Coach Lance Robinson's men's crew is set to play Harper College immediately afterward at 3:00 p.m.