(Malta, IL) – It took a little while, but eventually Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball team pulled away to post a 72-51 victory at Kishwaukee College on Tuesday evening. The Chiefs, ranked 16th in the NJCAA Division II poll that came out 24 hours earlier, were expected to prevail over the Kougars (2-6). However, it took Waubonsee most of the first half to separate from the home team on the scoreboard. The Chiefs (9-1) led by as many as 32 points in the second half before Kishwaukee closed out the game on a 16-5 run against Waubonsee's reserves to make the final score appear closer than it was.
Not long after the opening tip the Chiefs' Joey Niesman posted up former teammate Cam Russell and scored over him to quickly get Waubonsee on the board. The next trip down the floor J. Caleb Slawinski also scored inside for the Chiefs as they looked to set the tone early on that they were going exploit the height advantage they had on the Kougars. However, sloppy play from both teams over the next five minutes resulted in just a 4-all tie at that point. Kishwaukee then finished off a 10-0 run to grab a 10-4 lead seven minutes into the game. Waubonsee's defense started to change the course of the game after that as they forced a Kishwaukee shot clock violation on the Kougars next possession. That seemed to spark the Chiefs as they tied the game at 10-all just 90 second later.
Waubonsee finally regained the lead when Fernando Perez drilled a three-pointer to give the Chiefs a 14-13 with nine minutes to go in the half. Kishwaukee bounced back to take the lead again and then spent the next three minutes trying in vain to hold off the Chiefs. A spinning, left-handed shot and basket by Brice Langford got Waubonsee within a point at 22-21 with six minutes left. Thirty seconds later the 6'8" Slawinski scored on a power move inside to put Waubonsee ahead. The Chiefs would never trail again after that as Slawinski added a three-point play moments later and Jaylyn Kelley buried a three-pointer from the left corner to cap off a 12-0 run by the Chiefs. In the final minute of the half Duane Doss beat a pair of Kishwaukee players to a long rebound and then raced ahead of the pack for a lay-in. The Chiefs' guard was fouled on the play as well and converted the free throw for a three-point play to help Waubonsee secure a 39-24 lead at the break.
When the second half started the Chiefs accelerated the tempo and quickly broke the game open. A hesitation move and then drive to the hoop for a score by Kelley pushed the lead to 20 points at 46-26 three and half minutes into the second period. Waubonsee began to control the boards and employ an even more suffocating defense. The Chiefs snagged three straight offensive rebounds before David Robinson finally scored on a putback shot to make it 55-31 with 11 minutes left. Three minutes later Langford sank a fade away 10-foot shot and then blocked three Kishwaukee shots on the Kougars' ensuing possession. Two minutes later the Chiefs forced another shot clock violation, the Kougars fourth of the game, as they began to pull away. An inside basket by Melo Garrick was quickly followed by another basket from Robinson after slicing through the lane to extend the lead to 66-35 with 5:40 remaining. While Kishwaukee finished the game with an offensive surge over the final five minutes of regulation, Waubonsee had one more highlight to relish on the evening. The 6'6" Garrick followed up a Chiefs' missed shot with a thunderous, two-handed tip slam with two minutes left which brought the entire Waubonsee bench to its feet.
Doss paced Waubonsee in scoring with 15 points to go along with six rebounds. Slawinski booked a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, while also making three steals and blocking three shots. Langford also registered a double-double, but it was of a unique nature. The Chiefs' 6'10" center snagged 16 rebounds and blocked a season-high 10 shots. The sophomore from Indianapolis, Indiana even made four steals. Perez and Kelley each finished with 10 points to give Waubonsee four players in double figures. Niesman managed to hand out eight assists, while also guarding Russell throughout much of the game. The Kougars leading scorer coming into the game at 17.3 points-per-game, Russell was limited to just two points on the evening. For the game Waubonsee owned a 44-26 advantage pertaining to points-in-paint and the Chiefs tallied 22 second chance points courtesy of 21 offensive boards.
Waubonsee is set to welcome 19th ranked Spoon River College (8-3) to Erickson Hall Gymnasium this Thursday, December 8. The tip-off between the Chiefs and Snappers is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CDT). Spoon River handed previously top-ranked and undefeated South Suburban College its first loss this past Sunday, December 4, downing the Bulldogs 83-69 in downstate Canton, Illinois.