Exciting start for Lake County
It’s only the beginning, but if the first few games of the season are any indication, there are some exciting times ahead for the College of Lake County men’s basketball team.
The Lancers stayed undefeated with an 87-72 win over Wright College (Chicago) Thursday night, bringing their record to 4-0. It is the first time a CLC men’s team has started 4-0 since the 2004-5 season.
The Lancers got off to a hot start, shooting 56 percent from the field (67 percent from 3-point range) in the first half to take a 46-29 lead.
After Wright cut the lead to 7 with 6:20 to go, the Lancers answered with a 12-1 run to put it away. CLC was lead by Racine (Wis.) native Jalen Riley, who tallied 23 points and dished out 7 assists. Former Libertyville star Will Meyer (17 points), Alex Marzette (16), and Alex Morgunov (11) also contributed to the well-balanced attack.
Before Thursday’s game, the Lancers showed the ability to win the close ones, too. On Tuesday, the Lancers won a thrilling 78-76 game over Carthage College (JV) on a buzzer-beater by Riley.
Down one point with 2.2 seconds on the clock, the Lancers inbounded the ball to forward Marzette, who quickly passed to the 6-foot guard Riley. Riley turned and shot the 35-footer right through the net.
Coincidentally, Marzette and Riley were high school teammates at Case in Racine, Wis.
The Lancers overcame a 10-point deficit with eight minutes left, only to see Carthage nail a 3-pointer in the corner with 2.2 seconds to take a two-point lead. Then, Riley’s heroics caused a bench-clearing celebration and vaulted the Lancers to 3-0 for the season. The Lancers used a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double-figures. High scorers included Chris Souter (16 points), Riley (14 points), Marzette (14 points) and Meyer (14 points).
Last Saturday, the Lancers defeated a talented Kishwaukee CC squad 75-71. Kishwaukee is a perennial junior college power in Illinois.
Leading the way for the Lancers were Riley with 20 points and Souter with 18 points, and Morgunov (17 points, 9 rebounds).
Lake County resident Jerome Brantley sank 2 clutch free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory.
“We are proving that we can win the close games, which is really important early in the season,” CLC coach Joe Paul said. “We are not playing well every game, but we’re finding a way to get the job done. With a young team, I know we’re only going to get better. The key is to not get caught up in the wins and continue to improve. We certainly have a lot of things we need to work on, but it’s always fun to win.”
The Lancers will have their toughest test of the season when they play South Suburban Saturday on the road. South Suburban is currently ranked No. 2 nationally in NJCAA Division II.