Kishwaukee stays perfect against Harper

Kishwaukee College continued its winning ways on Saturday with a 79-71 victory over host Harper College in a nonconference men's basketball matchup.

Despite the win, Kougars coach Rob Buss was not happy with the way his team played in its fifth straight win.

"We didn't play all that well," he said.

Harper coach Justin Welke praised the opposition.

"That was a really good Kishwaukee team (5-0)," he said.

The Kougars began the first five minutes looking every bit like an undefeated team, outscoring Harper 13-6.

"We did a good job early on pushing the pace," Buss said. "We got a couple of quick baskets."

The baskets kept coming for the visitors from the northern Illinois town of Malta. They shot 57.1 percent for the half.

"They are a high-octane offense," Welke said.

The Kougars entered the game averaging 87 points.

One factor which helped the Hawks keep Kishwaukee to its lowest point total of the season was defense.

Harper (2-4) forced 10 first-half turnovers and the Kougars finished with 21.

"We are struggling to take care of the ball," Buss said.

"When we went into our half-court trap, it threw a wrench into their (game) plan," said Welke, who expect to use more trapping in the future. "We have the athletes to get those turnovers."

Despite the Hawks' effectiveness on defense, the Kougars were able to take their largest lead at 41-24.

Welke looked to his bench to settle his squad down, and freshman Jalon Roundy (Fremd) helped out with 6 points.

"You can trust him," Welke said of Roundy. "He's just a really a polished player."

The Kougars' defense limited Robert Hudson (Conant) and Davion Benton to 4 field goal attempts in the first half.

But the offense started to get on track thanks in part to the efforts of Hudson and Benton.

"Benton and Hudson are tough on the inside" said Buss said.

Hudson finished a team-high 13 points, and Benton chipped in 11.

"He's a beast on the glass," Buss said of Benton. "You always have to have a body on him."

Hudson and freshman guard Randy Hewitt played a big part in Harper's late surge, combining to score 8 of the Hawks' 15 points in a 15-2 run.

Buss admitted his team "got back on our heels.

"Harper did a nice job of coming back," he said. "In the last minute, it was a ballgame. Our guys showed heart."

Buss complimented the Harper defense.

"They made us earn it," he said. "They played a full 40 minutes."

Yashua Trent (Willowbrook) and Juwan Starks (West Aurora) each chipped in 13 points for the Kougars.