Elgin CC misses out on tie for ISCC title
The Elgin Community College men's basketball team literally took one on the chin Thursday.
ECC center Zack Harris (6-foot-10) was hit with an elbow with 19:34 left in the second half, a blow that reopened a tear in the sophomore center's chin that had recently been glued back together.
After Harris left to get stitches, the already height-challenged Spartans couldn't contain the Moraine Valley duo of 6-6 Niko Cahue and 6-6 Brian Townsend. Cahue grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, and Townsend scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime to lead Moraine Valley to a 77-64 victory at the Spartan Events Center in Elgin.
"It was going to be a physical game," ECC coach Reed Nosbisch said. "The officials knew exactly what was on the line. And we just didn't adjust to the physical part of the game. It doesn't help either when your 6-10 kid gets busted open good and misses (19) minutes of the second half. So we struggled on the glass tonight and we struggled with their aggressive play."
The loss denied ECC (21-9, 9-5) a share of the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference title. Moraine Valley (16-13, 11-3), clinched its first ISCC title since 2012-13, when the Cyclones shared the crown.
"Nobody has won this conference outright since 2011, when Morton went 14-0," Moraine Valley coach David Howard said. "We were aware of that and we didn't want to have to share this title. The guys played their tails off. This, I believe, is a product of hard work. It doesn't come easy. Ever. And it's extremely difficult to win in Elgin, so we're excited and blessed right now."
Sophomore Justin Allen was a bright spot for the Spartans. He scored 23 points, thanks to 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, including a shot from beyond the arc with 15:10 left in the game that drew ECC within 41-39.
However, the Cyclones answered with an 11-0 run, fueled by 3 buckets from Townsend, another inside job from Cahue and a 3-pointer from sophomore Nick Bal. During that stretch of 2:58 the Spartans committed 2 of their 11 second-half turnovers and missed 2 shots.
ECC fought back within 5 points when Brett Rau scored on the fast break, thanks to a nice bounce feed from freshman guard Ryan Cork, who returned to the lineup from a bruised heel. The Spartans had a chance to draw within 3 points but missed the front end of the bonus twice in the game's 37th minute.
Though the loss denied ECC a title share, the team is still hopeful of being named one of the top four seeds for the upcoming NJCAA Region IV playoffs when seeds are announced on Sunday.
"I thought we played hard tonight," Allen said. "Some shots weren't falling. But overall we've had a great season. This would have been the icing on the cake, but it's all good. We've still got regionals."
Eermias Nega scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Moraine Valley.
Rau finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks and sophomore Matt Chaltin added 10 points for the Spartans.