CLC men, women win

College of Lake County freshman guard Chris Millner must have felt like he was back at Mundelein.

Millner, who has struggled a bit adjusting to the speed of the college game, drained four 3-pointers in the second half to help the Lancers outlast visiting Joliet 86-83 Saturday.

Millner missed a layup and open jumper at the start of the game, but he did not let that deter him. He kept shooting, just as he would have when playing for the fastbreaking Mustangs.

"I tried to stay focused on my defense because I knew my shot would fall eventually," said Millner, who finished with 19 points.

In addition to his shot coming alive, Millner's ballhandling and passing were superb. On defense, he took two charges.

"In our running game, he'll look down the floor and make real good decisions," coach Tom Shields said. "A couple of our spurts were triggered in part by his good passing."

A trio of 3-pointers by Millner helped CLC (6-7) go from tied 56-56 to ahead 69-60. Joliet, though, wasn't going anywhere and cut its deficit to 76-75 at the 2:36 mark. The Wolves (10-5) missed a pair of 3-pointers in the final 15 seconds that would have tied the game and likely forced overtime.

"That was really an outstanding game," Joliet coach Joe Kuhn said. "(Unfortunately), we self-destructed on a couple of (late) turnovers."

Key for CLC in the second half was its box-and-1 defense. CLC had to try something after watching 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Ryan Owens score 23 of his game-high 33 points in the first half.

Owens had 10 points in the second half, but he was not nearly as effective. At times, sophomore forward Luse Mundadi (Highland Park) just completely denied him the basketball.

"It was team defense, but Luse gets big credit," Shields said. "He played smart, aggressive and was able to frustrate him."

Freshman forward Timothy Bryant was huge for CLC in the second half, when he contributed 16 of his team-high 22 points. Mundadi and sophomore guard Ray Idelburg (Zion-Benton) had 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Idelburg was dominant at the start and the end of the game. He scored CLC's first six points on two 3-pointers and his steal and layup gave CLC a 14-8 lead. But after making the layup, he was assessed a technical foul for taunting.

"That was bad," Idelburg said. "I came out with so much energy because it was the first game of the year. It took me awhile to build it back up."

Idelburg, who had 7 steals, dunked on consecutive fast breaks to give CLC an 82-75 lead with 1:46 remaining. Idelburg said he believed dunking was the highest-percentage play.

"I was missing too many layups," he said. "I knew (the dunk) would go in."

CLC opens Skyway Conference play with a 7:15 p.m. home game Tuesday against Prairie State.

"When he needs it, Ray has another gear," Shields said. "His competitive fire set the tone down the stretch."

CLC women 81, Joliet 57: It has been a long time since the College of Lake County women's basketball team has pounded a quality opponent.

No wonder there were so many smiles following the Lancers' 81-57 victory over visiting Joliet.

The Wolves (11-5) lost a couple of players for the second semester (academics) but will still be a formidable squad.

The Lancers (8-3) open Skyway Conference play at home Tuesday against Prairie State, and they certainly have a chance to contend for the league title.

"This game was a lot of fun for everyone," said Lancers sophomore Kelli Goodwin. "We moved the ball really well. Our energy was way up. It was just a lot of fun."

Your energy would be up too if you put up the type of numbers Goodwin did. The Libertyville graduate hit four 3-pointers and scored a season-high 27 points. She also was 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Both teams wanted to push the ball, but CLC played with more intensity and crisper execution. The Lancers were relentless on the offensive glass. In one possession in the first half, freshman forward Ye-Eun Jin (Vernon Hills) had 3 offensive rebounds. She was eventually fouled and made 1 of 2 foul shots.

"That was crazy," said guard Alyssa Wilson, who played with Jin in high school. "Rebounding is all about positioning, and she's been doing real well all year."

Jin tore the ACL in her left knee three games into her senior season at Vernon Hills.

"She's improved tremendously over the last two or three weeks," coach Bill Braman said.

Jin's eight points included a 3-pointer.

"I practiced 3-pointers the summer before my senior year," Jin said.

Post player Tiffany Lehner (Grayslake) also knocked down a 3-pointer and finished with 16 points.

Wilson, who did not play basketball last year and joined the Lancers just before the first game, is rediscovering her shot. She hit two 3-pointers and had 10 points.

"Getting back into basketball shape was tough because we play fast-paced," Wilson said. "The team encouraged me and made me feel comfortable."

Wilson is one of the Lancers' primary ball-handlers and a top defender.

"Her (progress) does not surprise me," Braman said. "She was an outstanding player in high school."