McHenry County College 12/2/25

The #10 Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 94–85 home victory over McHenry County College in a high-scoring matchup. SSC built its largest lead of the game at 41–26 with 4:18 remaining in the first half, but McHenry responded with a 12–4 run, capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer, trimming the Bulldogs’ lead to 45–38 at halftime.

McHenry carried that momentum into the second half and eventually took a 53–51 lead with 14:30 remaining. Just 30 seconds later, sophomore guard Shane Handlon knocked down a three-pointer to reclaim the lead for SSC at 54–53, a lead the Bulldogs would never relinquish. McHenry made one final push, cutting the score to 82–81 with 2:40 left, but South Suburban closed the game on a decisive 12–4 run to secure the nine-point win.

Sophomore guard AJ Abrams led SSC with a career-high 34 points, along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Sophomore guard Samar Bures added 24 points and 7 assists, while Handlon contributed a career-high 18 points. Freshman forward Gakobie McNeal recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Both teams shot exceptionally well. South Suburban finished 39-for-73 (53.4%) from the field, 6-for-13 (46.2%) from three-point range, and 10-for-20 (50%) at the free-throw line. McHenry was 32-for-49 (65.3%) from the field, 5-for-11 (45.5%) from beyond the arc, and 16-for-22 (72.7%) from the line. SSC won the rebounding battle 35–29 and improved to 6–1 on the season.

Oakton Community College 11/25/25

The #12 Bulldogs went on the road for a Region IV matchup and came away with a hard-fought 82–52 victory over Oakton Community College, improving to 5–1 on the season. The win marked Head Coach John Pigatti’s 550th career victory, bringing his record at SSC to 550–106.

Despite the final score, the game was competitive early. Oakton led for most of the first half and held a 21–18 advantage with 5:20 remaining. South Suburban responded with a 14–5 run to close the half, taking a 32–26 lead into the halftime break. Oakton opened the second half with a 6–0 run to tie the game at 32 with 18:00 left, but that would be their last push. The Bulldogs ignited offensively and defensively, stringing together several scoring runs to pull away for the 30-point win.

South Suburban was led by four sophomores. AJ Abrams recorded a double-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists. Samar Bures added 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Isaiah Green and Tanner Fields each scored 13 points, with Green also dishing out 6 assists. Sophomore center Angel Edmondson dominated the boards with 13 rebounds, helping SSC control the glass by a decisive 51–24 margin.

The Bulldogs shot 35-for-82 (42.7%) from the field, 4-for-18 (22.2%) from three-point range, and 8-for-10 (80%) at the free-throw line. Oakton finished 20-for-48 (41.7%) from the field, 7-for-17 (41.2%) from beyond the arc, and 5-for-14 (35.7%) at the line.

College of Lake County 11/22/25

The #12 Bulldogs returned home for a Region IV matchup against the College of Lake County and came away with a hard-fought 104–84 victory, improving to 4–1 on the season. SSC jumped out to an early 7–2 lead, but Lake County responded and went ahead 17–15 with 12:20 remaining in the first half. The game remained tight throughout the opening period, and a buzzer-beating three-pointer by sophomore guard Samar Bures sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a 53–48 lead.

South Suburban elevated its defensive intensity in the second half, steadily pulling away and eventually building a 23-point lead with 1:44 left in the game. The Bulldogs maintained control down the stretch to secure the 20-point win.

Samar Bures led SSC with a career-high 32 points, along with 7 assists and 5 steals. Sophomore guard AJ Abrams scored 27 points for the second straight game and added 4 steals. Sophomore guard Isaiah Green recorded a career-high 15 points, while sophomore forward/center Angel Edmondson contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds. The Bulldogs dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 39–21, highlighted by freshman forward Gakobie McNeal’s career-high 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs shot 39-for-66 (59.1%) from the field, 3-for-13 (23.1%) from three-point range, and 23-for-29 (79.3%) at the free-throw line. Lake County finished 26-for-45 (57.8%) from the field, 7-for-17 (41.2%) from beyond the arc, and 25-for-35 (71.4%) at the line.

Prairie State College 11/20/25

The #12 Bulldogs traveled to south-suburban rival Prairie State College and came away with an impressive 88–54 victory, improving to 3–1 on the season. South Suburban jumped out to an early double-digit lead and carried that momentum into halftime with a 42–26 advantage. The second half mirrored the first, as SSC continued to widen the gap, extending the lead to 86–50 before closing out the final 34-point margin of victory.

South Suburban was led by sophomore guard AJ Abrams, who recorded a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding 5 assists and 4 steals. Sophomore guard Samar Bures contributed 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. The Bulldogs’ only other double-digit scorer was sophomore guard Tanner Fields, who chipped in 15 points.

SSC shot 35-for-65 (53.8%) from the field, 7-for-17 (41.2%) from three-point range, and 11-for-14 (78.6%) at the free-throw line. Prairie State finished 22-for-66 (33.3%) from the field, 2-for-18 (11.1%) from three, and 8-for-16 (50%) at the line.

Spoon River College 11/15/25

The #14 Bulldogs concluded their early-season homestand with a hard-fought 75–59 victory over Spoon River College. SSC jumped out to an early 11–4 lead, but Spoon River responded and held a 29–25 advantage with two minutes left in the first half. SSC freshman guard Zach Greene scored five points in the final minutes, including a buzzer-beating two-point basket to tie the game at 32–32 heading into halftime.

The game remained tied at 36–36 with 17:30 to play before SSC’s defense and offense began to take control. The Bulldogs went on a 12–4 run to build a 48–40 lead with 12:34 remaining. Spoon River pulled within four at 60–56 with 4:50 left, but South Suburban closed the game on a dominant 15–3 run to secure the 16-point victory.

South Suburban shot 31-for-62 (50%) from the field, 7-for-18 (38.9%) from three-point range, and 6-for-9 (66.7%) from the free-throw line. Spoon River finished 22-for-46 (47.8%) from the field, 3-for-14 (21.4%) from beyond the arc, and 12-for-18 (66.7%) at the line.

The Bulldogs had three sophomore guards score in double figures: AJ Abrams (21 points, 4 assists), Samar Bures (15 points, 9 assists), and Shane Handlon (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists). Sophomore center Angel Edmondson led SSC in rebounds with 13. South Suburban won the rebounding battle 34–27 and improved to 2–1 on the season.

Marian University Ancilla 11/12/25

The #14 Bulldogs rebounded from their home-opening loss with a convincing 103–65 victory over Marian University Ancilla. South Suburban trailed early, down 16–15 with 12:50 remaining in the first half, still feeling the effects of the previous defeat. Momentum shifted after a made three-point shot by freshman guard/forward Dominic Pangallo, which gave SSC the lead for good at 18–16 with 12:30 to play. The Bulldogs carried that energy into the break, leading 40–33 at halftime.

The second half is where SSC elevated its intensity. Marian University Ancilla cut the lead to 46–40 with 16:20 remaining, but that was as close as they would get. South Suburban’s defense was dominant, steadily extending the margin to as many as 40 points before closing out the 38-point victory.

SSC had several standout performances. Sophomore guard AJ Abrams led the way with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sophomore forward/center Angel Edmondson posted a double-double, scoring a career-high 21 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and adding 4 assists. Sophomore guard Samar Bures contributed 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, and sophomore guard Shane Handlon added 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

South Suburban shot 40-for-67 (59.7%) from the field, 6-for-15 (40%) from three-point range, and a perfect 17-for-17 at the free throw line, marking the first time in Coach John Pigatti’s 20 seasons that an SSC team was perfect from the line with more than 12 attempts. Marian University Ancilla shot 23-for-51 (45.1%) from the field, 4-for-11 (36.4%) from three, and 15-for-20 (75%) at the line. SSC also dominated the boards, outrebounding Marian 42–18.

With the win, South Suburban improved to 1–1 on the season.

Danville Area Community College 11/8/25

The South Suburban College Bulldogs, ranked sixth nationally, opened their 2025–26 season at home against nationally ranked Danville Area Community College. Despite an impressive comeback from an 18-point deficit, the Bulldogs came up short in a 76–70 loss. The defeat marked only the second home opener loss for Head Coach John Pigatti in his 20 seasons leading South Suburban.

Both teams started slowly, with South Suburban holding a narrow 8–7 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Danville went on a 29–15 run, and had a 36–23 lead into halftime.

The second half began unfavorably for the Bulldogs, as Danville extended its lead to 43–25 with 17:40 remaining. From there, South Suburban responded with a spirited 23–5 run, tying the game at 48 with 10:48 left in the game. However, foul trouble proved costly down the stretch. The Bulldogs were called for 27 fouls, sending Danville to shoot a total of 41 free throws for the game, an average of more than once per minute.

Sophomore guard Samar Bures led South Suburban with 26 points, six assists, and three steals. Sophomore guard A.J. Abrams added 14 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. Two additional Bulldogs scored in double figures: sophomore guard Isaiah Green and freshman guard/forward Dominic Pangallo, who each contributed 12 points.

As a team, South Suburban shot 44.4% (28 of 63) from the field, 30% (6 of 20) from three-point range, and 53.3% (8 of 15) from the free-throw line. Danville connected on 44.9% (22 of 49) from the field, 36.4% (4 of 11) from beyond the arc, and 68.3% (28 of 41) from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 42–30.