Waubonsee players celebrate Wednesday night’s Region 4 quarterfinal win over Elgin Community College by lifting a young fan into the air in front of the Erickson Hall crowd. The 89–60 victory on Feb. 26 sends the Chiefs to Sunday’s semifinal showdown with top-seeded Milwaukee Area Technical College in Rockford.

By: Johnny Crouch, Co-Editor-In-Chief | Photos Courtesy of: Kisella Valignota

Waubonsee men’s basketball avenged its most recent loss in dominant fashion Thursday night, Feb. 26, rolling past Elgin Community College 89–60 in a Region 4 quarterfinal at Erickson Hall. The fourth-seeded Chiefs improved to 24–7 overall and advanced to Sunday’s semifinal in Rockford, where they will face top-seeded Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Two weeks earlier, Elgin handed Waubonsee what Head Coach Lance Robinson later described as an embarrassing defeat, the Chiefs’ most recent loss entering the postseason. On Wednesday, that memory lingered.

“When you get embarrassed by a team,  and we got embarrassed by them, I think that was fuel for us to play tonight,” Robinson said.

Elgin entered the matchup anchored by Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Player of the Year Davee Flowers, who led Region 4 in scoring at 25 points per game. Waubonsee made him the focal point from the opening possession.

“Every time he had the ball, we wanted to gap,” Robinson said. “If he took that first dribble, we wanted to be coming at him. If he had a second dribble, that second defender was on him.” The idea was simple: don’t let the region’s leading scorer attack one-on-one.

Sophomore guard Ehi Ogbomo, whom Robinson called “our best on-ball defender and the best defender in the conference on the perimeter,” set the tone. Flowers finished just 3-for-13 from the field with nine points, four assists and three turnovers before fouling out.

The Spartans jumped ahead 10–1 in the opening minutes as both teams struggled to settle in. Waubonsee missed its first several looks at the rim and failed to convert at the free throw line. But once the Chiefs found their rhythm, they never looked back.

A steal and transition finish from sophomore point guard James Parker sparked the surge. Consecutive inbound steals from sophomore guard Kamea Chandler followed. Sophomore forward Chikasi Ofoma attacked the paint, freshman forward Freddy Hassan ran the floor, and Ogbomo turned defense into easy baskets.

“We knew that we had to win,” Parker said. “When we lost in Elgin two weeks ago, it was devastating. It was bad. So that’s what we were thinking about, just play for 40 minutes, rebound, and get easy buckets.”

The Chiefs ripped off a 16–0 run midway through the first half, forcing turnovers and capitalizing in transition. By halftime, Waubonsee led 45–28, with Flowers held to a mere seven points and struggling to find clean looks against constant pressure.

“We wanted to make them play defense and wear them down at the same time,” Robinson said. “Without a great player in number two on their team, [Flowers] has to handle the ball a lot more. That really was kind of the key for tonight.”

The second half offered little relief for Elgin.

Parker opened with a corner three, Hassan converted a physical and-one, and Ogbomo ignited the crowd with an emphatic fastbreak dunk. Ofoma continued to control the interior, finishing through contact and even drawing a technical after an emotional and-one sequence that underscored the intensity of the night.

Waubonsee led by as many as 31 in the final minutes before reserves checked in and the Chiefs dribbled out the clock.

Ofoma paced the Chiefs with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Hassan contributed 14 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-9 from the field. Ogbomo added 14 points, while Parker filled the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Waubonsee shot just 5-of-20 from three-point range but dominated elsewhere, scoring 52 points in the paint, adding 26 fast-break points and forcing 22 turnovers.

Elgin, which led the region in three-pointers entering the game, went 12-of-44 from beyond the arc.

“We can rebound and get out in transition, get easy layups and just wear them down over 40 minutes,” Parker said. “The game is 40 minutes, so just wearing them down… that was the focus.”

The victory continued Waubonsee’s dominance at Erickson Hall, moving the Chiefs to 17–1 at home this season, something Robinson said the team does not take lightly.

“Every year we want to win every game at home,” Robinson said. “This is our home court… it helps fuel us.”

Now the Chiefs turn their attention to Milwaukee Area Technical College, the region’s top seed and highest-scoring team at 105 points per game. Waubonsee fell to Milwaukee earlier this season and was eliminated by the Stormers in last year’s semifinals.

“I would say it’s a little more personal,” Parker said of the rematch. “But I’m just trying to stay focused on the team and keeping the team the main focus.”

For Parker, who played significant minutes in last year’s playoff loss, leadership means blocking out distractions and keeping everyone steady.

“Honestly, it’s just about playing hard at all times and not getting caught up in missed shots or bad calls,” Parker said. “At a JUCO, it’s easy to think about recruiting or who’s watching. But I just try to keep everyone level-headed and focused on the main goal. Step by step, it’s not going to be easy, but if we all just stay focused and come together as a team, we can accomplish anything.”

Robinson echoed that mindset

“We want to go in there and just play fearless and play our game,” Robinson said. “We’ve grown a lot of just knowing how much we need our brothers and just playing connected basketball.”

Sunday’s semifinal tips at noon at Rock Valley College, with a trip to the Region 4 championship game on the line.

Sophomore guard Josiah Mayes (#13) shields the ball from a defender along the wing during Waubonsee’s win over Elgin on Wednesday nigh Mayes finished with eight points, four assists and a team-high 10 rebounds in the 89–60 victory.