Don't let the fact Division III Joliet Junior College's women's basketball team came within a possession of winning at Division I powerhouse Triton College February 22 on Sophomore Day.
A longtime regional opponent of the Trojans, the Wolves compete in a lower classification, to be sure. But they almost always have a higher classification level of talent, superbly coached by Shaun Sanderson.
So after the 24-4 Trojans' squeaked by 55-53 at the Jorndt Athletic Complex gymnasium via a last-minute steal by
Mariah Phelps, feeding to Jazmine Smith for the clinching layup, Triton coach
Drew Winston handed out proper props.
"It was entertaining," he said. "Respect to Joliet for how they played."
"It was a good finish. We sustained the blow and walked out with a W. We'll go back to the lab and fix things."
Winston's simple philosophy is winning by one point or 100 – by any means. The end result produced Triton's eighth victory in a row and a 12-2 home record.
The Wolves were undermanned, playing just seven. Three had to play at least 36 minutes.
Yet the Trojans joined them in the end down a body. Star center
Jordyn Coleman, the top sophomore honored pre-game, had fouled out by the time Phelps and Smith pulled off their slickery as the clock ticked down to 12 seconds.
Despite the hosts' man (woman) power advantage, Joliet led 22-14 midway through the second quarter. But Triton, sparked by Phelps' three-pointer, went on a 15-0 run in taking a 29-24 halftime lead. The edge was extended to 33-24 early in the third quarter.
The Wolves hung around, though, keeping the game in sight. They grabbed a 52-51 lead with 3:30 to go. A Smith give-and-go-layup gave the Trojans a 53-52 lead moments later before the Wolves forged a final tie at 53-53.
Triton's defense held in the final minute, which to Winston was just as important as any stylish score.
"We had a defensive stand at the end," he said. "If we can stop a team from scoring, it doesn't matter what we do on offense."
Coleman joined fellow "big "
Lauryn Hunt,
Ava Marrello and
Aliana Brown as the honored sophomores. The Trojans' leading scorer had an off day with just 11 points on 5-for-17 shooting. She still pulled her weight inside with 11 rebounds and five blocks.
"These type of nights bring that type of emotion," Winston said of nerves while being honored. "Once they settled down, they played better."
Hunt eventually channeled her emotions inside. She scored just six points, but led all players with 16 rebounds.
Smith paced the Trojans with 15 points, but was busy with Phelps handling Wolves star Lovely Tua-Link, the game's leading scorer with 18, including a trio of three-pointers. Smith and Phelps (nine points) each had two steals.
The 24
th victory, one more than the total in each of the last three seasons, is one shy equaling the most wins in a season since the national runner-up season of 1993-94 under the direction of the late Dan Hull.
The Trojans conclude their regular season at home with a "Pack the Gym Night" versus Wright College at 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 27.
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(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle) Â Â
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