Hawks Play Complete Game in Victory over DuPage

Box Score

Daily Herald Article

 

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College women's basketball team was clicking both on the offensive end and defensive end of the court on Wednesday against visiting College of DuPage. The Hawks notched a season-high in points and forced 25 Chapparal turnovers on their way to a 75-49 victory inside the Wellness & Sports Center.

Harper (9-16, 3-7 N4C) was led offensively by point guard Kim Herzog (/Buffalo Grove), who scored 22 points and dished out seven assists while knocking down four 3-pointers. The Hawks canned 11 triples as a team. Joslyn Nicholson (/Cary-Grove) had another solid game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five steals. Lane Winkler (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) knocked down four 3-pointers of her own and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Sarah Nelson (/Warren Township ) scored nine points, and Ashonte Sims (/Normal Community West) added eight points and 10 rebounds.

Herzog scored a game-high 22 points and dished out seven assists in the victory. (Jim Cummins)

Perhaps more impressive than the offensive showing was the Hawks' defense that forced 25 DuPage (7-18, 1-10 N4C) turnovers that turned into 30 Hawks points. Harper also took care of the ball and also turned it over eight times in the game, a season-low.

The Hawks took the lead for good less than three minutes into the game and led 38-22 at halftime. Harper shot 42 percent (29-of-69) on the night.

The Hawks play their next game on Saturday as they host Joliet Junior College at 1 PM.

Nicholson Named Co-Player of the Week

Region IV Report

PALATINE, Ill. – In this week's Region IV Report, Harper College sophomore forward Joslyn Nicholson (/Cary-Grove) was selected as the NJCAA Region IV Div. III Co-Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Shonnice Vaughn of Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Nicholson was named Region IV Div. III Co-Player of the Week. (Jim Cummins)

The 5-foot-10 forward averaged 29.5 PPG, 14.5 RPG and 1.5 SPG in two games last week. She scored 38 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 70-54 win over Triton College. The Hawks' top scorer followed it up with a 21-point, 14-rebound performance at Wilbur Wright College on Saturday afternoon.

In 23 games this season, Nicholson is averaging 23.6 PPG (seventh in nation), 11.7 RPG (22^nd in nation), and 2.3 SPG. She is shooting 72 percent (121-of-168) from the free throw line.

Week 4: Team 4 Pulls Away Late For 68-49 Win

                                             1              2              F

Team MB                             24           25           49           0-4

Team 4                                 27           41           68           4-0

We had an 8:30 tip against league commish MB Johnson and John Clancy’s team as we looked to get to 4-0. Playing against the league commish is similar to playing against a prominent figure such as Barack Obama, but we didn’t show those jitters to start the game.

We came out flying out of the gate, scoring on fastbreak buckets and taking a big double-digit lead early. However, our opponents made a comeback with a stout zone, and we weren’t crashing the glass as effectively as usual.

They cut the deficit to one at 25-24 with a minute left before Ben Asper scored one of the most bizarre buckets you’ll ever see. Ben was putting pressure on them, and their inbounds pass hit their own net, wrapping the net around the rim (like what happens on a pure swish). Additionally, Ben ended up with the ball and put up a 10-footer as time expired. The ball rattled around the rim and somehow went in to give us a 27-24 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Brian Ramsland channeled his inner Steph Curry and finished the game with five 3-pointers, not to mention a couple of nice mid-range jumpers. While it took a while to finally pull away, we did so in the final seven minutes as we got back to what we do best, getting defensive rebounds and running like madmen down the court! This may sound sick, but I get energy from running the break with reckless abandon with my partner in crime, Eric Freckman!  Nothing fires me up more than taking off like the pidgeon-toed freak I am and dishing to a teammate or scoring a layup!

It’s so much fun to play on this team. While winning is fun and 4-0 is a nice record to have at this juncture of the season, I know I’m surrounded by teammates who love to share the ball, encourage me on the court, and play their hearts out.

The devotional for the week was titled “To Really Live” and we focused in on Paul’s attitude in Philippians 1:19-21. Despite being in prison, Paul saw his situation as a win-win. If he were to continue living, he’d be doing so for Christ.  If his life was taken for Christ’s sake, he’d be with God in heaven in a much better situation. What a great reminder to us because we are often times caught up in our circumstances and lack this bigger perspective. I pray that this team lives out this perspective more and more with each week!

It was great to have a discussion about how we are demonstrating in our everyday lives that Christ is exalted above all else. We saw both ends of the spectrum and  that it’s hard to exalt Christ when things are tough as well as when things are going really well.

Week 5 is a 9:30 AM tip with Jon Lindstrom’s team. We will have Vince back to make our team seven strong, and Justin Perlut is still out with a lower body injury. With some beefy bodies and sharpshooters, this will be another great test!

Week 3: Team 4 Grinds Out Victory

1              2              F

Team 4                 30           31           61           3-0

Team 1                 33           19           52           0-3

With the 10:30 AM game, we had plenty of time before tipoff on Saturday morning. We would be suiting up six players this week as we were without the services of Justin Perlut and Brian Ramsland.

Playing against a 0-2 team captained by Gabe Clayborne and Josh Settles, we knew that despite their record, they’d come ready to play. They had Joe and Thomas Martin on the squad, two of our former teammates from last year’s highly successful maroon team.

We found out pretty quickly that this game would be no walk in the park, despite them getting an immediate technical foul for having six players on the court (we were all puzzled by what was going on). After the confusion, our opponents came out firing, burying 3-pointers and scoring in all sorts of ways. We trailed 28-16 at one point but closed the half on a 14-5 run to cut the deficit to 33-30.

We came out stronger in the second half, taking control of the game. We really stepped it up on defense and only surrendered 19 points in the half. On a day where we didn’t really hit many 3-pointers and weren’t effective on the fastbreak as usual, it was nice to find other ways to be effective and pull out a win.

Our devotion this week was titled “Reconciliation Up Close”, a study on how the Lord used Peter despite his failures. It was a good reminder of God’s grace and that he is not bitter with us, loves us, and wants us to serve him.

Week 4 is a 8:30 AM tip against Team 8 captained by MB Johnson and __________. Without Justin Perlut (lower body injury) and Vince Bartolome, we will be getting plenty of exercise again with just six players.

Week 2: Team 4 Earns Another Victory with Hustle & Effort

     1              2              F

Team 2                 26           21           47           1-1

Team 4                 40           27           67           2-0    

                     

With Zack Krupp making his season debut and without the services of Justin Perlut, Team 4 took on Team 2, captained by Joe Jenkins and Tobias Green, in a battle of 1-0 teams. From the opening tip, we immediately outhustled and outrebounded our opponents by grabbing offensive rebounds and getting easy buckets.

Trying my best to not be like Shaq from the foul line

We also looked great with defensive rebounding, boxing out sizable players and beating them down the court for transition baskets and 3-pointers from Vince and Brian. After building an early lead, we did get sloppy in the middle of the first half as Jenkins and company began trapping us, forcing us into a few bad passes/turnovers. However, once we cracked the code and got better ball movement, we found things easier going. Once Krupp knocked down his first 3-pointer, he began knocking down more shots and also driving to the hole with authority.  Couple that with several surprisingly easy layup opportunities for our team, and we built up a 40-26 halftime lead.

Matching up on defense

The second half was more of the same story-a strong start, a little lull in the middle, and a strong finish to put the game out of reach. With our team, it was nice to know we were going to get out on the fastbreak and either get an easy hoop or find a shooter for a three. Overall, it was a great team win to get to 2-0. We also may have found a team photographer in my dad, Bill Smith Sr., who took some photos of us in action.

Happy to get a win

We followed it up with a devotional titled “Which Jesus?”, a discussion on how we sometimes tend to define who God is and the danger in that.

Week 3 is a 10:30 AM tip against Team 1 captained by Gabe Clayborne and Josh Settles. Without sharpshooters Brian Ramsland (in Arizona) and Justin Perlut (lower body injury), we will have to work hard to get our third victory.

Week 1: Team 4 (Insert Better Team Name Here) Squeaks Out Victory, 54-53

                               1             2             F

Team 4                 30           24           54           1-0

Team 3                 17           36           53           0-1

Given the luxury of sleeping in and playing the 10:30 AM game, we came out hot in the game against Lafayette Bell and company. With steals, fastbreak points, Eric Freckman looking like Pau Gasol in the post, and some 3-pointers, we built a nice lead in the first half. We played solid team D on Lafayette, forcing others to beat us. With a 30-17 lead at halftime, a strong start to the second half could put this game out of hand.

This, however, was not the case. Lafayette got going offensively, and Kameron Hill also knocked down some 3-pointers to get them back into the game.  Couple that with Billy looking like Shaq on the foul line in the second half and the offense looking a little stagnant, and we had a ballgame.

They cut the lead to just one point in the last few minutes with a chance to take the lead for the first time in the game, but our D held strong. Also, Ben Asper got fouled shooting a three and knocked down all three attempts (with the help of a shooter’s roll on the first one). He knocked down two more big ones late, making him 5-of-5 at the charity stripe during crunch time.

Leading 54-51 with 2.8 seconds left, Team 3 called timeout and drew up a play to send the game into overtime. With the suspense high, the game finished on a layup at the buzzer, which we were more than willing to give up. A 54-53 win was a good start to the season, and we did this without 6-foot-5 Zack Krupp.

Week 2 is an 8:30 AM tip against Team 2, captained by Joe Jenkins and Tobias Green. They won 55-29 in Week 1, so it’ll be a battle of 1-0 teams.

Harvest Hoops Team Preview Part 2

With the Harvest Hoops season starting, here is the player breakdown for Team 4 provided by Billy Smith in last week's email:

Ben Asper (captain): Nicknamed "The Golden Child", give him an open 3-pointer or a baseline drive, and you'll pay the price. (Go to bed old man, we are playing at 6 AM tomorrow!)

Billy Smith (captain): Will have to contend with guys 4-5 inches taller and with much more muscle. 

Brian Ramsland: His 3-pointers go in on a line and faster than the blink of an eye.

Eric Freckman: My fellow partner in crime on the glass, Freck crashes the glass harder than anyone in the league. Eric will give teams that don't box out (most of them) fits.

Joey Hillenbrand: Have never met you, but can't wait to play with you. If you have any family ties to former MLB player Shea Hillenbrand, then we will be golden!

Justin Perlut: A lethal shooter from deep, Justin also penetrates and finds open guys all the time. He also plays hard-nosed defense.

Vince Bartolome: A great shooter (I sense a theme here), Vince will knock down big shots and handle the ball as well.

Zack Krupp: If you are 6-foot-5 and can shoot, you will fit in great with our squad (minus the 6-foot-5 part).