(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball team looked to get back in the conversation regarding the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) race. The Chiefs, who lost their first three ISCC contests, were striving for their second straight conference win as they hosted second-place Morton College on Tuesday evening. The Chiefs (13-6, 2-3) went toe-to-toe with the Panthers (12-6, 3-2) from start to finish and pulled away in the second half for an 86-71 victory.
Waubonsee won the opening tip and David Robinson buried a three-pointer from the left corner seconds later to get things started. A reverse lay-in by Melo Garrick then knotted the score at 5-all two minutes into the contest. A trey by Joey Niesman a minute later and another one by Jaylyn Kelley in transition a moment later capped an 11-0 Waubonsee run as the Chiefs jumped ahead 14-5. A cross-over dribble and fade away jumper by Duane Doss then put the Chiefs ahead by nine again at 21-12 after nine minutes of action. However, Morton battled back to pull within 25-23 on a three-pointer by Manny Rodriguez with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
A tip-in by Garrick off a missed shot by Niesman pushed the lead back to six at 33-27 with four and a half minutes left until halftime. Two minutes later the Panthers' got back to within a point on a dunk by 6'9" Amir Gause. Waubonsee was unable to take advantage of a shot clock violation by Morton with a minute and a half to go during a sequence where both teams failed to score on four straight possessions. In the final seconds of the first half the Panthers' Matas Deksnys scored on a drive to the basket to send the teams to the locker room with Waubonsee in front just 35-34.
The Chiefs opened the second half with a three from the top of the key by Kelley. Waubonsee's next possession Kelley was fouled on a three-point attempt and proceeded to connect on all three tosses from the charity stripe to give the Chiefs a 41-34 lead. A three-pointer by Doss and then a steal and lay-in by Niesman extended Waubonsee's lead to 48-36. A minute later Colton Schutt scored in close as the Chiefs went on a 13-2 run over the initial five minutes of the second half.
Waubonsee led by as many as 14 before Morton got the deficit back down to single digits. However, a reverse lay-in by Julian Acosta pushed the lead back to 11 as the Chiefs worked to keep Morton at bay. The Chiefs still held a 63-53 lead at the midway point of the second half as the teams continued to trade baskets. A long three and a fast break basket by Kelley suddenly extended the lead to 17 points at 70-53 with eight minutes to go, the Chiefs' biggest of the game up to that point. A minute later a block by Brice Langford triggered a fast break lay-in for Doss as Waubonsee surged ahead 75-53.
A one-handed slam by Gause gave the Panthers something to celebrate momentarily as the clock wound down to five minutes remaining. Morton then went on a little run to get within 14 points with two minutes to go. An inside basket by Langford and a pair of free throws by Doss then clinched the game. Waubonsee finished the game with only 10 turnovers, blocked nine shots and shot 81 percent (17 of 21) from the foul line.
Kelley led Waubonsee in scoring with 19 points while also handing out eight assists. Doss was right behind him with 17 points and three steals, while Niesman ended the game with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Robinson chipped in with 10 points, Langford hauled down a dozen boards and blocked three shots, Garrick added nine points and four blocks, and Schutt contributed nine points in the victory. Waubonsee takes the court again this coming Thursday, January 26 when they host Elgin Community College. The women tipoff at 5:15 p.m. and the men's contest is set to begin at 7:15 p.m.