Daley deals Harper a setback

The up-and-down nature of the season continued for the Harper College men's basketball team Tuesday.

The Hawks (3-5) dropped a 66-64 decision to Richard J. Daley College, which picked up its first win of the season after six losses.

"It was a competitive game," Harper sophomore Allias Burnett said.

The Hawks entered the contest looking for its first two-game winning streak of the season.

But Harper's coach, Dr. Justin Welke, didn't see the same sustained effort as in last week's victory over Waubonsee Community College.

"It's amazing we only lost that game by 2," Welke said. "Thursday we played for 40 minutes - today we played for about 5."

Everything looked good early, as Harper ran out to a 10-2 lead. The Bulldogs stormed back, scoring 12 of the game's next 15 points.

The second-year Harper coach was disappointed in his team's defense.

"We couldn't keep guys in front of us," Welke said.

Harper also struggled on the glass, where they were outrebounded 51-28. Daley came up with 21 offensive boards, leading to 19 second-chance points.

Burnett scored a team-high 22 points for the Hawks. Marcus Gatlin (14) and Conner Elzerman (12) both joined Burnett in double-digit scoring.

Upcoming for the Hawks are Moraine Valley and Malcolm X.

"We have to stay focused," Burnett said. "We have to take it to another level."