Harper wins fifth straight

The Harper College women’s basketball team got off to a slow start in its win over rival College of DuPage Tuesday night at the Harper Sports and Wellness Center.

But the Hawks certainly had a fine finish in their 55-35 victory, which extended the team’s winning streak to five.

The Hawks (11-9 overall, 5-2 North Central Community College Conference) have not lost since dropping a game at third-ranked Rock Valley College on Jan. 8.

On Tuesday, the teams combined to score 40 points in the first half. The Chaparrals (10-13, 3-4) could only muster 8 points over the first 15 minutes.

“We kind of lost our composure,” Harper’s Anna Kirchoff said of her team’s first-half scoring woes.

Kirchoff (Barrington) finished with 16 points, 10 of them in the first half.

The Hawks had three players score in double figures. NJCAA Division III player of the week Sarah Kellermeyer (Schaumburg) finished with a game-high 18 points, and guard Siobhan Cerney (Schaumburg) was 7-for-11 from the field on the way to 15 points.

“Their play recently is why we are doing so well,” Harper coach Mark Smith said of the trio who scored in double digits. “In our conference we’re all the same — it comes down to who shows up.”

And show up the Hawks did in the second half. The Hawks scored 34 points, just 1 point shy of the Chaparrals’ total for the game. Plagued by foul trouble, Nakeisha Smith still finished with a team-best 10 points for COD.

“I hope the second half is more indicative of of how we are going to keep playing,” Smith said.

With the win and Rock Valley’s 79-61 win over Joliet, the Hawks were able to move into second place in the N4C standings.