Harper men open conference play at No. 2 Joliet

The Harper College men’s and women’s basketball teams kick off North Central Community College Conference play tonight when they travel to Joliet Junior College.

This will be the first game back for men’s coach Tony Amarino, who missed the Hawks’ Dec. 18 win over Oakton Community College before the holiday break for personal reasons.

“They’re playing with alot of confidence,” Amarino said of Joliet. “I couldn’t think of a better openent to open (against) at their place.”

The Wolves (14-1) are ranked second in the NJCAA Division III national poll. The Hawks enter tonight’s contest with a 12-2 record. Seven of their wins came against members of the eight-school Skyway Conference, which consists of teams not in Division III.

“The leagues go in cycles,” Amarino said. “The parity is there.”

The Wolves are the reining NJCAA Division III champions. Joliet’s only loss was an 80-72 loss to Sullivan County Community College on Nov. 14.

“Opening up at Joliet is a big test,” Amarino said. “If we steal one here and there, we have a great shot (to win the conference).”

The Hawks have to stop Joliet’s leading scorer, 6-foot-7 standout Andy Supergan. Look for the Wolves to play some zone defense to take advantage of their size in the pivot.

“It’s tough to get good looks inside (against the zone),” Amarino said.

“I think our kids are ready for a big test like this. We’re going to use the same recipe (against Joliet) that we used for the first 15 games.”

The Hawks next return for home action at 7 p.m., Jan. 18 against Madison Area Technical College.