(Grayslake, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball team captured the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) title with an 85-72 victory at the College of Lake County to close out the regular season. The Chiefs finished with an 11-3 record in ISCC action, one game ahead of second-place Moraine Valley Community College, to earn their third straight league crown. The ISCC championship is the 20th conference title for Waubonsee's men's basketball program overall. Coach Lance Robinson's crew improved to 23-7 overall as they head into the post-season. Waubonsee will find out Sunday evening who they will play in the first round of the Region 4 Division II Tournament, set to begin on Thursday, February 26.
Waubonsee jumped out to a 17-7 lead on the Lancers (11-19, 6-8) after six minutes of play and held a 25-11 midway through the first half after Chikasi Ofoma scored inside on consecutive trips down the floor. The Chiefs led by as many as 15 points with three and a half minutes left until halftime when CJ Savage buried a pull-up 15-foot jumper. A double spin move and lay-in by James Parker and a one-handed short jumper in the lane by Ehi Ogbomo helped the Chiefs take a 47-34 lead into the locker room at the break. Waubonsee finished the half shooting 57 percent (20 of 35) from the field.
The Chiefs then started the second half with a 8-2 run sparked by a pair of lay-ups by Dirk Nickson to extend the lead to 19 points. Lake County found the range from long distance over the next several minutes of play to cut the deficit back to single digits at 58-49 with 14 minutes to go. The Lancers clawed their way to within six at 65-59 midway through the second half before Waubonsee pushed the lead back up to 14. However, Lake County worked its way back to within striking distance trailing 75-67 with five minutes left. The Chiefs answered back again and built the lead back to double digits and took an 85-71 lead as Ofoma powered his way to the rim for two with two and a half minutes remaining to seal the outcome.
Overall, the Chiefs' two point guards were the catalysts to the win with 5'8" Nickson leading Waubonsee with 18 points, while the 5'9" Parker booked 12 points. Ofoma finished with 10 points and six assists, Tarell Harding came off the bench to also score 10 points, and Ogbomo tallied nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Chiefs shot 53 percent from the field and owned a 52-12 advantage in points in the paint. Lake County nailed a dozen three-point shots and had a 22-12 edge from the foul line, but shot just 28.8 percent from the floor overall in the game.