advertisement

Wright tops Harper, gets first win

Wright College came to Harper on Wednesday eager to find the place to begin a new chapter in its men's basketball season.

"Being 0-13, you have to start somewhere," said Wright College coach Michael Harris.

Winless no more, Wright came away with an 84-77 victory in a North Central Community College Conference opener.

"We went into this game underestimating them," said Harper's Isaiah Butler, who finished with a game-high 36 points.

Another bright spot for Harper was the play of former Mid-Suburban East player of the year Joey Gatziolis. The Elk Grove alum scored 18 points and came up with 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

But Wright had plenty of scoring, too. Ricky Battles paced Wright with 32 points, London Cobbs had 20 and Marlik Williams (14) and Jalani Ward (13) also reached double figures.

"They answered the call," Harris said of his team's effort.

While first-year Harper coach Sean Stochl's said poor play by his team was behind the outcome, Butler credited Wright's solid defense, which forced 14 turnovers - and pointed a finger at human nature.

"We thought it was going to be an easy win," said Butler, who drained six 3s.

Chima Oduocha (Conant) contributed 11 points for Harper (5-12, 0-1).

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.