The College of DuPage women’s basketball team celebrated their sophomore day at home on Jan. 20 against Wilbur Wright College. COD shared the ball and dominated on both ends of the court, racking up a team total of 21 assists. The Chaparrals ran down the Rams, winning 83-60.

“It’s exciting because we had Sierra with 27 and Savannah with 24 [points],” head women’s basketball coach Abby Talley said. “Two sophomores that came in ready to go. Sarah and Delmarea contributed as well. Maybe they’re not the leaders in scoring every game, but they contribute in so many other ways with energy and defense, rebounding and being leaders on the court. When we put our minds to it, we’re a very deadly team.”

Sophomore guard Sierra Gibson led the team with 27 points and put up eight defensive rebounds. Gibson also led with six steals and made two assists and one block. She said playing alongside her teammates in front of a full crowd made the game more exciting.

“I’m happy that my family came out to support me,” Gibson said. “Everyone else’s families were all supportive of each other, so it was really fun to see. This is probably one of the loudest crowds we’ve ever had, so it was really fun.”

Gibson reflected on how the team got the edge over Wilbur Wright.

“Our ball movement was really good,” she said. “The more we move the ball, the more opportunities we have for everyone to score. I think that’s what beat [the Rams], just us moving the ball constantly. We had a few good rebounds and second-chance buckets, so that also helped as well.”

Sophomore forward Savannah Anderson secured her fifth double-double of the season, scoring a career-high 24 points and racking up 12 total rebounds. Anderson also picked up three assists, one block and one steal. She said the team’s confidence in each other made it easy to work together on the court and win the game.

“We wanted to share the ball,” Anderson said. “We had the faith and trust in our teammates. We knew that we were going to execute. We trusted each other, and we got things done. When we didn’t [execute], we still picked each other up, and we still believed in our next possession. We didn’t let anything from the past affect how we played, and that trust and faith that we had in each other really pushed us today.”

Freshman guard Megan Martinez tallied 13 points and two total rebounds. She also notched four steals and two assists. She said it felt good to help the team get a win on sophomore day.

“I definitely wanted this win for [the sophomores] because they deserved this win,” Martinez said. “Especially since we were on a losing streak. We needed this for them, and it was a really big step.”

The Chaps were on a four-game losing streak before this win, and are looking to find more success throughout the rest of the season.

Sophomore forward Sarah Topps recorded five points and nine defensive rebounds. Topps also led the team with three blocks and picked up four assists and one steal. She said she was happy to share this moment with loved ones after being away from basketball for a few years.

“There was a lot of excitement, especially for me,” Topps said. “I didn’t think that I was going to play this year. I had been out of basketball for about five years. Coming back and being able to have a group of people that were with me and were going to support me through and through was very exciting.”

Sophomore guard Delmarea Willis started the game alongside her fellow sophomores, adding two points and two steals. Willis was a part of the Region 4 championship team last season alongside Gibson, and she hopes to focus on the time they have left with the team before the end of the season.

“It’s super bittersweet; I feel like we just started,” Willis said. “[Gibson and I] were just freshmen, and now we’re sophomores? It’s so crazy. We still have more time. We have more games. So we’re just going to keep going from there and spend as much time with each other as we can.”

Talley said the team needs to find consistency in their play.

“When we put our minds to something, and we’re consistent and focused, again, we’re a deadly team,” she said. “I need these girls to do it every single game consistently. Consistency is the biggest word for us right now. We’ll show it in spurts. Today I would say we had the whole game, but there haven’t been many of them. In order for us to keep this win streak going, we’ve got to make sure we’re consistent.”

COD Finds More Success in Madison

COD brought offensive heat on Jan. 23 at Madison College, reaching a team total of 22 steals and taking advantage of those scoring chances. Leading by over 10 points throughout the second half, the Chaparrals shut down the Wolves 75-43 to raise their record to 6-14.

Sophomore guard Sierra Gibson led with 17 points and freshman forward Teegan Roach notched her first double-double of the season, securing 10 points and 11 total rebounds. The Chaps look to win their third straight game against the Bryant & Stratton College Bobcats at 5 p.m. on Jan. 25 on Klaas Court.