(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's Men's Basketball team took the floor against an opponent for the first time in over a year on Wednesday evening. The Chiefs hosted perennial NJCAA Division III power Rock Valley College in a scrimmage game, the first of six they have scheduled this Spring after not having a usual 2020-2021 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The wait turned out to be worth it for the Chiefs, who rallied in the final minute to beat Rock Valley 77-75 on Jason Larson's last second three-pointer.
Rock Valley got out of the gates in a hurry taking a quick 8-0 lead before Waubonsee got its footing. Three-point baskets by Joey Niesman and Traevon Brown put the Chiefs in front 14-12 five minutes into the contest. Another trey by Jaylyn Kelley capped a 16-2 run by the Chiefs to put Waubonsee ahead 21-12 a couple minutes later. Rock Valley then went on a 10-1 run tying the game at 22-all on a three-pointer by Treye Tucker.
Not surprisingly after such a long layoff, both teams looked a little sluggish at times with the remainder of the first half being a back and forth affair. The Chiefs took a 33-29 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half when McKee Tucker stole the ball at midcourt and sailed in for a breakaway, one-handed slam. Rock Valley responded and pulled to within 38-37 in the final minute of the half on back-to-back three-point baskets by Malik Marshall. The score stayed that way as each team headed into the locker room at the break.
Tied at 40-all early in the second half the Chiefs' M. Brice Langford threw down a two-handed jam off a slick pass from Niesman to put Waubonsee in front by two. It turned out to be the last lead the Chiefs would have until just before the final buzzer. A pair of threes by Rock Valley's Tucker from the left corner staked the visitors to a 50-45 lead. The Chiefs were able to tie the game at 54-all midway through the half and it was still tied at the 7:30 mark. Then Rock Valley suddenly went on a 7-0 run in a minute to take the upper hand. A minute later Kelley nailed a three-pointer to get Waubonsee within 65-62 before the Golden Eagles grabbed a 70-62 lead on another three-point basket by Tucker with four minutes to go.
A drive down the lane and lay-in by Brown pulled the Chiefs to within five points at 71-66 prompting a Rock Valley timeout with 3:24 to go. Moments later Niesman pulled down a huge offensive rebound off a missed free throw and was fouled on his attempted put back shot. The freshman from Oswego High School made both charity shots to get Waubonsee to within three at 71-68 with 2:58 to go. The Chiefs' full court, man-to-man pressure forced a Rock Valley turnover shortly thereafter. However, the Chiefs misfired twice on three-point attempts and the Golden Eagles cashed in with inside baskets at the other end to build a 75-68 lead with 1:50 remaining. Brown made a pair of free throws to make it 75-70 with 1:35 to go before the Chiefs made a great defensive stand as Rock Valley ran the shot clock down to the one minute mark. However, the Golden Eagles tracked down the offensive rebound forcing the Chiefs to foul.
Fortunately Rock Valley missed the front end of a one-and-one foul shot situation with 0:52 left and Ka'jon Smith was fouled hauling in the rebound. However, he missed both of his ensuing foul shots and the Chiefs were forced to foul again. But the Golden Eagles again left the door open for a Chiefs' comeback by missing the front end of another one-and-one. A moment later Niesman scored underneath off a great pass from Brown to make it 75-72 with 0:24 remaining.
After a Waubonsee timeout, the Chiefs' full court press resulted in a Rock Valley turnover as Niesman made a diving save off a deflected pass and Larson was able to track down the ball down on the Golden Eagles end of the court. He rushed the ball up the floor and drove down the lane scoring on a finger roll in traffic with 0:13 left to make it a one-point game. Rock Valley then quickly threw a long pass down court and appeared in position to clinch the win, but Marshall missed a shot from close range and a hustling Larson was there to snag the rebound with 0:06 to go. The freshman from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin raced up the court and was cut off by a pair of Rock Valley defenders at the top of the key. With few options and no time to spare, the 6'6" forward launched a trey that swished through the net with just 0.2 of a second left. A three-quarters court heave by Rock Valley's Tucker was short as the buzzer sounded.
Brown led Waubonsee with 17 points, shooting 3 of 6 from long range to go along with three steals and three rebounds. Larson finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while Tucker tallied 11 points and made two steals. Kelley also booked 11 points, making 3 of 5 shots from three-point range. Niesman ended the night with nine points, six assists, four steals and five rebounds. Cooper Larsen chipped in with nine points, Langford snagged five rebounds, and Smith hauled down five boards and had three blocks in the victory. For the game Waubonsee made 11 baskets from beyond the arc and Rock Valley connected on 12 from long range. The Chiefs went 8 of 13 from the foul line, while the Golden Eagles finished 11 of 16, but missed the front end of three one-and-one free throw situations. Treye Tucker paced Rock Valley in scoring with 16 points, making four three-point baskets.
The Chiefs are in action again on Thursday, April 22 when they travel to Oakton Community College for a 6:30 p.m. scrimmage contest. They also head to Rock Valley on April 23 before returning home on April 27 to host Oakton Community College with the tip-off beginning at 4:00 p.m. Although fans are not currently allowed at the Chiefs' indoor games, they are being streamed 'live' on-line at www.GoChiefs.com