Triton shuts down Kankakee to extend winning streak to 17

Can the Triton College men's basketball team win without nailing three-pointers?

When you're No. 4 in the national Division I rankings, you can win any number of ways. The 22-3 Trojans thus cemented their 17^th win in a row against Kankakee Community College on February 17 in spite of connecting on just two of 15 three-point shots.

But Triton was very accurate inside the arc in the 78-57 victory at the Jorndt Athletic Complex in the second-to-last regular season home game. Five Trojans attained double figures in scoring as they shot 48.4 percent overall even after subtracting the treys deficit.

Meanwhile, the Trojans' defense tightened up, barring any visiting Cavalier player from reaching double figures. The hosts really clamped down as a 37-28 halftime lead grew to 20 points midway through the second half, permitting Triton to cruise to a perfect 12-0 home-court record.

"They took away our threes and kind of made us a driving team," Triton coach Brian Burns said of 19-7 Kankakee, which could be a possible Region IV championship opponent three weeks down the road at the Jorndt Athletic Complex.

"I don't think we ever got a great rhythm on offense," added Burns. "But the defense was great.  An interesting game for us not getting a ton of threes. We were able to grind them out and stretch them out."

Guard Vijay Wallace led all scorers with 21 points, balanced between 6-for-10 shooting and 9-for-11 at the free-throw line. Leading Trojans season scorer Dayjuan Anderson did not have to bring a peak performance, finishing with 15 points.

Center Pietok Machar had a superb all-around game with 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

"He was hurt for a little bit," said Burns. "We changed a couple of things and it's really benefited him. He's playing at a high level."

Chase Coleman and Hassan Dorman contributed off the bench with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Dorman also boosted the defense with a team-leading four steals.

"Chase really stepped up and gave us the good version of him," said Burns. "Hassan gave us a big lift."

Forward Tolu Samuels helped Machar inside with a team-leading 11 rebounds.

Triton took the court with the knowledge they had jumped into the national Top Five in rankings. They traded such a lofty spot with regional rival Indian Hills Community College, whom they defeated at home a week ago.

The Trojans will be challenged to extend their streak to 18 in a row and stay in the Top Five. They play on the road against Malcolm X College, always a tough opponent, on Thursday (Feb. 20).

"Two really big region games, and we stressed that," Burns said of Kankakee and Malcolm X.

Triton concludes its regular home season against Wright College on Thursday February 27 for Pack the Place Night.
 
Follow Triton Athletics on Twitter @TritonTrojans1 or on Instagram @Triton_College_Athletics

(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle)