(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball team took care of business in the first round of the Region 4 Division II District B Tournament. The second seeded Chiefs (28-3) dispatched the College of Lake County 87-58 on Thursday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. Waubonsee gradually wore down the 15th seeded Lancers (9-19) and forced 28 turnovers that led directly to 35 points. The Chiefs advance now to the semi-finals to square off against 10th seeded Milwaukee Area (WI.) Technical College (13-17) which upset 7th seeded Moraine Valley Community College 81-78. The 15th ranked Chiefs and Stormers will tipoff at 4:00 p.m. this coming Sunday, March 2, at Rock Valley College in Rockford. The winner of that game will move on to the championship, which is set for Saturday, March 8, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Rockford as well.
In the first meeting between the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) members on January 14 the Chiefs blasted the Lancers 97-55. In the rematch in Grayslake, it was an entirely different story as the game went to overtime before Waubonsee prevailed 89-87 on a basket by James Parker in the final seconds of the extra session. This time the Chiefs didn't let Lake County hang around and took away any potential suspense early in the second half. The Lancers tallied the first points of the game on a pair of free throws by Marcus Antione before Waubonsee's Pat Robinson nailed a 15-foot fadeaway jumper to knot the score. It remained that way through the first four minutes of the game as neither team could find the range. Waubonsee began to get on track as Aboubacar Sidibe and Zachariah Hayslett each buried three-pointers to stake the Chiefs to a 10-4 lead. A steal by Christian Meeks and a two-on-one fastbreak lay-in by Tylon Toliver extended the lead to 17-9 seven minutes into the game. Waubonsee held a 24-18 lead at the midway point of the half when Tim Taiwo scored on a lay-up.
Taiwo splashed a trey two minutes later and Sidibe netted another shot from beyond the arc as the Chiefs built their lead up to 30-20. Waubonsee gradually built the lead up to 14 points with five minutes remaining until the break. Jermaine Theodore drilled a triple from the top of the key to help the Chiefs maintain a double-digit lead. Malik Petty then buried a three as well before Waubonsee trotted off to the locker room with a 45-30 lead. The Chiefs owned an 11-0 advantage in fast break points and a 20-10 edge in bench points the first half.
In the first minute of the second half Waubonsee quickly reeled off six points to move ahead by 21 points and break the game open. The Chiefs continued to push the tempo and expanded the lead to 65-39 before Antione hammered down a one-handed slam on a fast break. It was one of the few times the Lancers had something to cheer about all night. Robinson drained a three-pointer from the left corner with seven and half minutes left to make it 70-43. A minute later Meeks finished off a Chiefs' fast break with a two-handed jam as Waubonsee maintained a comfortable lead. Hayslett then connected on back-to-back threes to push the lead over 30 points at 80-48 with five minutes to go. Chiefs' head coach Lance Robinson emptied his bench at that point. A moment later JJ Strojinc sank a long triple as Waubonsee extended the lead to 37 points with three minutes remaining. The Chiefs 28th win of the season equals their win total from last season and is one shy of the program record of 29 wins set by the 1990-91 team. Over the last two years Waubonsee has gone a combined 56-8 overall, including a 24-4 mark in the ISCC.
For the game Waubonsee connected on 13 three-point baskets and owned a 27-4 advantage in fast break points. Robinson booked 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and made three steals. Sidibe also netted 14 points and handed out five assists, while Hayslett finished with 11 points and four assists. Meeks chipped in with nine points, eight boards, three assists and three steals. Taiwo snagged seven rebounds, and Petty and Toliver each contributed eight points in the victory.