The College of DuPage men’s basketball team had no trouble at home on Jan. 20, leading by 22 points going into the second half against Wilbur Wright College. COD got to play their whole bench, mixing it up in a dominant offensive effort over the Rams. Finding the net consistently, the Chaparrals shut them down 84-57.
“We did not prepare for easy,” assistant men’s basketball coach Eric Garcia said. “We dropped a couple of games to [Chicago] teams, and we were really trying to be prepared for this one. We found out they didn’t have two of their starters. It’s not that we hoped for an easy one, but this is kind of what the doctor ordered. We came out and started playing well for the most part, so it’s kind of what we needed.”
The Chaps fell to Richard J. Daley College, Olive-Harvey College and Malcolm X College before this win, and Wilbur Wright is the first Chicago institution they’ve beaten this season.
Freshman guard Greg Strong led the team with 26 points and put up seven total rebounds. Strong also made five assists and one block. He said he knew he was going to play well after his first shot in warmups.
“It was definitely one of those days,” Strong said. “I could tell when I came out [during warmups]. I shot my first three, and it was all net. That was my first shot all day. You know what that means; when you hit your first shot of the day, you’re going to put up 26 [points], seven [rebounds] and five [assists].”
Freshman forward Braylen Meredith racked up 14 points and four offensive rebounds. Meredith also recorded two assists, two blocks and one steal. He said he anticipated the team performing well, as they were playing at home.
“It went pretty smooth, we kind of expected [to win],” Meredith said. “We’ve been playing pretty well at home too, so home-court advantage helps. We came out and played hard.”
Sophomore guard John Gray III tallied nine points and four total rebounds. He also picked up two assists. With the entire bench each playing at least a few minutes, he said it was nice to see his younger teammates in action.
“It was good to see everybody play,” Gray III said. “That’s always my goal every game as a leader, as a captain, to get everybody in there. Most of these guys are freshmen, so it’s good for them to get some experience under their belt.”
Freshman guard Quentin Schaffer added seven points and four defensive rebounds. He also notched one assist and one steal. He said the team communicated well all together and hopes to see the whole team get more minutes.
“We were talking on defense, moving fast and closing out,” Schaffer said. “They only had 23 points at halftime, and we had a big lead. We’ll have a good practice, work hard and get those guys in again on Tuesday.”
Garcia said the team is looking forward to tough games in their schedule.
“It’s nice to get back in the win column,” he said. “It’s what we needed today. Nothing is going to get easier for us. We’re going to play some of the top teams in [Division II] in the nation coming up here. [Milwaukee Area Technical College, South Suburban College and Bryant & Stratton College] are all in the top 20. You take every win you can. We’ve got to keep getting better. We’ll pat ourselves on the back and we’ll get to work again.”
Chaparrals Fall Short Against WolfPack
The Chaparrals struggled offensively in the first half at Madison College WolfPack on Jan. 23, going into the second half down by 16 points. COD fought tooth and nail to close the gap, getting within six points with a little under 90 seconds on the clock.
Sophomore guard Jayden Dean hit a three-pointer at the buzzer but COD’s offensive push fell just short, losing 81-83 to make their record 13-9. The Chaps look to bounce back against the Bryant & Stratton College Bobcats at 7 p.m. on Jan. 25 on Klaas Court.
