Both Harper basketball teams fall short at Rock Valley
The Harper men's basketball team was on the road Tuesday at Rock Valley (9-8, 1-2), and despite shooting 7-for-22 from 3-point range, the Hawks fell to the Golden Eagles 77-72.
Sophomore guard Brandon Bolger (Schaumburg) led the Hawks in scoring with 16 points, and guard Floyd Battle added 15 points with a team-best 4 assists.
Harper coach Tony Amarino will become the newest member of the 300-win club with his next victory.
On Saturday, the Hawks traveled to Joliet to take on NJCAA Division III's No. 4-ranked team and lost 100-62.
The Hawks are 0-3 against ranked teams this season. The team's four-game losing streak is its longest of the season.
After having two weeks off for semester break, the Hawks (7-11 overall, 0-3 N4C) kicked off conference action by hosting rival College of DuPage on Jan. 5. The Hawks lost 79-63 as Bolger scored a team-high 15 points.
• The Harper women's basketball team is off to an 11-6 overall record and a 2-1 start in conference play.
On Tuesday, Rock Valley (8-9, 3-0) hosted the Hawks, and the Golden Eagles came away with a 71-61 win.
The loss snapped a season-best five-game winning streak for Harper.
Peggie Parhas led the Hawks with 20 points, and sophomore Noreen Davis shot 4-for-8 from behind the 3-point line and finished with 17 points. However, the Hawks were outrebounded and committed 28 turnovers.
The Hawks earned a 57-37 home win in the conference opener against COD on Jan. 5 as Parhas led the Hawks with 20 points. Freshman Anna Kirchoff continues to be a big part of the Hawks' success since the end of December; the Barrington grad had 16 points and 8 rebounds against COD.
Later in the week the Hawks used a 13-0 run in the final three minutes to defeat Joliet 53-51. Parhas had 14 points while Kirchoff had 13, and Davis added 13 of her own.
Football decisions: A second member of the Harper football team has decided where he will be playing in the future. Defensive lineman Matt Moriarty (Nequa Valley) has committed to NAIA member West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
"I think he will do great there," Harper coach Eric Waldstein said via e-mail Tuesday.
Waldstein believes Moriarty will be playing on the offensive side of the ball, but he was not 100 percent certain how the Golden Bears will use the 6-foot-2, 264-pound lineman.
The Golden Bears are a member of the Mid-South Conference. West Virgina University Istitute of Technology was 3-8 last season and suffered a 61-38 road loss to Olivet Nazarene University. Moriarty's commitment makes it two former Hawks who have committed to four-year schools before the Feb. 3 signing day. Before Christmas, linebacker Dillon Forbes signed a letter of intent to play for North Dakota State.
• Former Harper quarterback and current Northern Illinois backup strong safety Garrett Barnas played in the International Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 2 against Big East opponent South Florida. The Bulls defeated the Huskies 27-3.