Harper makes Madison earn OT decision

The Harper men's basketball team has had its share of struggles this season.

But as Madison Area Technical College found out Saturday in Palatine, the Hawks are anything but an easy 'W.'

Harper took Madison to overtime before falling short 66-64 in a North Central Community College Conference finale.

Madison improved to 17-10 overall and 7-7 in the league.

"If you're looking for a good junior college basketball game, that was it," said Wolfpack coach Scot Vesterdahl. "We were very fortunate to come out of here with a win."

Harper fell to 9-21 and 2-12, but coach Justin Welke agreed that fans got their money's worth.

"I thought it was our best game of the year," Welke said.

The Region IV seeding meeting is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday, but one player who already seems to have flipped the playoff switch is Harper's Davion Benton (9 points).

"We need to keep our mind on the goal (the playoffs)," he said.

Marcus Gatlin (17 points, 4 assists, 3 steals) came within inches of getting Harper into the win column when his half-courter near the end of regulation was a near miss.

Admir Suljic finished with a team-best 21 points for Harper.

The Hawks will likely be slated for a regional play-in game Tuesday. A win there could quickly bring them a rematch with Madison, this time on the road.

"It's a whole new ballgame when you get into the playoffs," said Benton, adding: "Our record is zero and zero."