(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College men's basketball team steamrolled visiting Illinois Valley Community College 110-66 on Tuesday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Chiefs (2-0) blitzed the Eagles (1-2) from the outset and never looked back, booking 110 points for the second straight game. Waubonsee, ranked 19thnationally in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, outscored Illinois Valley 39-2 in fastbreak points and tallied 30 assists as a team on the way to shooting 58.5 percent (48 of 82) from the floor. Fifteen Chiefs saw playing time with 13 registering at least two points, while all 15 grabbed at least one rebound.
After a brief pre-game recognition regarding Veteran's Day, Waubonsee scored just a few seconds into the game as CJ Savage hit a short jumper. On the Chiefs ensuing possession Savage sank a three-pointer from the left wing and James Parker drilled another triple from the right corner on the next trip up the floor giving Waubonsee an 8-0 lead just 75 seconds into the game. After a timeout by the Eagles, Ehi Ogbomo stole the ball at midcourt and threw down a one-handed tomahawk jam. Parker then scored again as the Chiefs were off and running with a quick 12-0 lead. Illinois Valley finally got on the board with a pair of free throws. But the Chiefs never let off the gas pedal as they quickly surged ahead 25-6 just five minutes into the game. Waubonsee's full court pressure defense continued to pay dividends with the home team holding a 33-13 lead halfway through the first half.
A quick 6-0 run by the Eagles was snapped when Parker dropped the ball off for Freddy Hassan on a fast break and the 6'7" freshman hammered home a two-handed dunk in transition. A minute later Ogbomo again stole the ball near midcourt and flew in for a highlight reel one-handed slam as the Chiefs maintained a 20-point cushion at 39-19. Waubonsee's Dirk Nickson then took over hitting a pull-up, 10-foot jumper, followed by a three-pointer and capped off by a slashing to the rim for a one-handed lay-in to make it 50-20 with two minutes left in the half. By the time the buzzer sounded signaling halftime the Chiefs sprinted off with a 57-24 lead, owning a 22-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
Chikasi Ofoma started the second half by completing a three-point play. A short time later Parker made a steal and lobbed the ball to Hassan for a thunderous two-handed alley-oop slam as the Chiefs extended their lead to 35 points. Two minutes later Parker registered another assist when he threw a fastbreak lob to Ofoma for another alley-oop jam to make it 72-32. Waubonsee then built the lead up to 85-38 after Kamea Chandler and Josiah Mayes each scored inside. After a timeout Mayes got through the Eagles' defense and found Chris Rhoades who threw down a two-handed power slam. Halfway through the second half the Chiefs still led by 44 points. Eddy Redento booked a pair of baskets to give Waubonsee a 97-55 lead with five minutes remaining. A putback bucket by Dasean Patton put the Chiefs over the century mark for the second straight game. A pair of driving lay-ups in traffic by Tarell Harding pushed the lead to 108-64 with a minute and a half to go.
Six different Chiefs reached double figures in scoring led by Hassan's 15 points. Chandler booked 14 points, while Nickson chipped in with 13 points and delivered six assists. Parker finished with a dozen points and seven assists, Harding added 11 points and six rebounds, and Savage tallied 10 points. Ofoma contributed nine points, Ogbomo recorded three steals and dished out four assists, and Mayes hauled down six boards and handed out three assists. Coach Lance Robinson's Chiefs are in action again this coming Thursday, November 13, when they host Joliet Junior College starting at 7:30 p.m. The women's contest between the Chiefs and Wolves is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. in Sugar Grove.
photos by Britt Crowe and Cristina Molleda
Dirk Nickson darts down the lane CJ Savage locks down on defense James Parker scores on a reverse lay-up