, College of DuPage’s women’s basketball team faced off against Trinity Christian JV’s women’s basketball team on Nov. 18 and earned a 63-56 victory. The game was a close match and each team seemed to have total control of the scoreboard for one half of the game. 

The Chaparrals dominated the Trolls in the first half of the game, giving them a hard time moving around the court. The Chaparrals’ defense prohibited the Trolls from being able to pass well and and coordinate with each other. On top of stopping many of their passes, the Chaparrals’ defense prohibited the Trolls from being able to accurately take shots at their discretion. The Trolls were constantly forced to take shots as soon as they had their first opportunity to, and this reflected on their 2-point scoring ratio to be just 23.7 percent. With the Trolls’ offense crippled, it allowed the Chaparrals to maintain more control of the ball. This gave the Chaparrals more opportunities to set themselves up for success in terms of nearing their opponents basket, and being able to take more accurate, better-timed shots than the Trolls. While the Chaparrals only shot with 37.1 percent accuracy, their teamwork gave them many chances to collect rebounds for a second attempt. The first half ended with the Chaparrals ahead of the Trolls 37-22.

In the second half, the Trolls came back and put COD in a tough position. The Trinity Trolls were able to stop many of the Chaparrals’ advances down the court, and give COD a hard time shooting. The Chaparrals’ 2-point scoring accuracy dropped to 29.2 percent, and the Trolls were able to bring their 2-point accuracy up to 29.7 percent. With the Trolls offense and defense playing much better, they were quickly playing catch-up on the scoreboard, bringing the score to 61-56. Despite the rejuvenated playing of the Trolls and the close score, the Chaparrals were able to hold their ground and prevent the Trolls from scoring for the remainder of the game. The Chaparrals scored two more points just thirty seconds before the game ending, securing their place on the scoreboard.

Although with the game being very close, COD sophomore Madeline Baillie, who led the team with 24 points was very satisfied with the win, saying, “I’m very happy with the game, I mean we won, so there isn’t anything else to it.”

The Chaparrals next home game is against Moraine Valley at 5 p.m. on Nov. 25.