Men’s Basketball Recaps

Waubonsee Community College 3/9/24

The #3 ranked Bulldogs won the 2024 NJCAA Region IV DII (Midwest District A) Championship on Saturday, March 9 with a 94-82 victory over Waubonsee Community College. The game was close early. SSC led 12-11 with 11:30 to go in the first half. They proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to take a 21-11 lead with 9:00 to go. They would keep that 10-point lead at halftime (39-29). The second half started slow for the Bulldogs. Waubonsee opened on a 10-4 run and cut the lead to 43-39 with 16:00 to go in the game. That would be the closest they would get to the Bulldogs as SSC kept answering every scoring run Waubonsee had. The victory improved the Bulldogs record to 31-2 on the year.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 29 points. Jones also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. 3 sophomore guards scored in double figures: Chris Harrison (16 points), Reggie Abram (14 points), and Julius Byrd (11 points). Freshman forward Quentin Heady also scored in double figures as he chipped in 14 points, while grabbing 8 rebounds. South Suburban shot 31/66 (47%) from the field, 6/18 (33.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 26/30 (86.7%) from the free throw line. Waubonsee shot 29/53 (54.7%) from the field, 2/13 (15.4%) from the “3”, and 22/26 (84.6%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 33-30.

Coach John Pigatti was named Midwest District A Coach of the Year. It is his 13th time in 18 seasons winning that award. Heady and Abram were named to the All-Tournament Team. Jones was named the Tournament MVP. The SSC Bulldogs advance to the NJCAA DII National Championship Tournament to be held March 18 – 23, 2024 at Danville Area Community College in Danville, IL.

Moraine Valley Community College 3/3/24

The #3 ranked Bulldogs advanced to the championship game of the Midwest District A Tournament with a 97-66 win over Moraine Valley. The game was tight early. Moraine Valley had their last lead of the game at 9-8 with 14:50 to go in the first half. SSC would take the lead for good at 10-9 with 13:50 to go. SSC would continue to go on a 37-11 run to close the half and take a 45-20 lead into the half time break. Moraine Valley had only 5 baskets and 10 made free throws in the first half. Moraine Valley’s offense picked up in the second half. SSC continued its 25-point lead at 54-29 with 15:40 to go in the game. Moraine Valley would go on a 26-16 run and get as close to the Bulldogs as they were going to be the rest of the night (70-55). SSC would then go on a 27-11 run to end the game with the 31-point victory.

SSC was led by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ triple double: 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Freshman forward Quentin Heady was the only other Bulldogs to score in double figures as he recorded a double/double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. South Suburban shot 41/72 (56.9%) from the field, 9/17 (52.9%) from behind the “3”-point line, and only 6/7 (85.7%) from the free throw line. Moraine Valley shot 20/65 (30.8%) from the field, 2/22 (9.1%) from the “3”, and 24/31 (77.4%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 45-36.

SSC improved to 30-2 on the season. 9 teams during Coach John Pigatti’s 18 seasons at SSC have won 30 or more games. This year’s team won their 30th game earlier than any other team.

Madison College 2/29/24

The #3 South Suburban Bulldogs opened NJCAA Midwest District A tournament play with a 101-59 win over Madison College. The game was close with SSC leading 14-9 when the Bulldogs went on a 22-3 run and took a 36-12 lead with 5:30 to go in the first half. SSC led at halftime 51-24. They would start the second half on a 29-17 run to take an 80-41 lead with 10:00 to go. The Bulldogs would grab their biggest lead of the game at 101-54 with 2:30 to go and never looked back, winning the game 101-59.

SSC was led by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 33 points and 10 rebounds. Jones scored his 1000th point with his first basket of the game. He achieved this feat in just 31 games this season. The Bulldogs also had two other players score in double figures. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 21 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. Sophomore guard Julius Byrd scored 13 points (11 in the second half). South Suburban shot 41/74 (55.4%) from the field, 5/13 (38.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 14/21 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Madison shot 18/42 (42.9%) from the field, 3/11 (27.3%) from the “3”, and 20/26 (76.9%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 41-25. SSC improved to 29-2 on the season.

Kishwaukee College 2/22/24

The #3 Bulldogs closed out the regular season with their 63rd straight home victory with a 103-57 win over Kishwaukee College. It was sophomore night and the 8 sophomores: Reggie Abram, Brandon Adorno, Julius Byrd, Tremear Fraley, Chris Harrison, Jemel Jones, LeQuan Washington and Kenton Wright Jr. were honored in a pre-game ceremony. The game started out with Kishwaukee taking an early 6-5 lead. SSC then went on a 16-6 run and took a 21-12 lead with 12:30 to go in the first half. Kishwaukee closed the gap to 25-23 with 9:00 to go, but that was the closest they would get. The Bulldogs closed the first half on a 22-11 run and led 47-34 at halftime. SSC started the second half on a 24-0 run, took a 71-34 lead with 14:00 to go, and never looked back.

SSC sophomore guard Jemel Jones led the Bulldogs with 35 points and 10 rebounds. He missed his last free throw of the game, or he would have scored his 1000th point in this regular season. He has 999 points and will try to break into the 1000 point club in one season when SSC opens Region IV Tournament play. SSC had 3 other players score in double figures. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 17 points. Sophomore guards Chris Harrison and Julius Byrd had 15 and 12 points respectfully. Byrd also recorded a double/double as he grabbed 10 rebounds. South Suburban shot 38/66 (57.6%) from the field, 9/20 (45%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 18/26 (69.2%) from the free throw line. Kishwaukee shot 17/48 (35.4%) from the field, 3/13 (23.1%) from the “3”, and 20/30 (66.7%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 38-20. South Suburban closed out the regular season with a 28-2 record.

Rock Valley College 2/20/24

The #3 Bulldogs started out their last week of the regular season by winning their 62nd straight home game as they defeated Rock Valley 80-69. The game was tight as the lead changed 4 times in the first 10 minutes. The game was tied 14-14 with 9:00 left to go in the first half when SSC would close out the half on a 23-8 run and take a 37-22 lead into the halftime break. Rock Valley opened up the second half on an 8-0 run and closed the gap to 37-30 with 18:00 to go in the game. SSC would then go on a 10-3 run and take a 47-33 lead with 14:50 to go. Rock Valley would get as close as six at 64-58 with 6:50 to go. SSC would proceed to go on a 9-0 run, take a 73-58 lead, and never look back.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 33 points (21 in the 1st half). He also grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. Sophomore guard Chris Harrison scored his SSC high of 17 points (13 in the 2nd Half), and sophomore forward LeQuan Washington chipped in 13 points. The Bulldogs shot 30/80 (37.5%) from the field, 5/17 (29.4%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 15/21 (71.4%) from the free throw line. Rock Valley shot 25/65 (38.5%) from the field, 7/21 (33.3%) from the “3”, and 12/24 (50%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs slightly won the rebounding battle 45-44. SSC improved to 27-2 on the season.

College of DuPage 2/15/24

The #3 SSC Bulldogs finished their road schedule for the regular season with a 93-68 victory over the College of DuPage. The game was tight with SSC leading 8-7 with 15:30 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 13-5 run and took their biggest lead in the first half at 21-12. The Bulldogs led 39-34 at halftime. SSC opened the second half on a 21-6 run and took a 60-40 lead with 12:55 to go in the game. They would then go on another run of 20-11 and take their biggest lead of the game at 80-51 with 6:00 left to go. They would never look back.

SSC was led in scoring by (current National Player-of-the-Week) sophomore guard Jemel Jones, who recorded a double/double as he scored 34 points (23 in the second half) and grabbed 18 rebounds. Three other players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 17 points. Sophomores LeQuan Washington scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Julius Byrd scored 10 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. South Suburban shot 38/72 (52.8%) from the field, 4/12 (33.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 13/15 (86.7%) from the free throw line. DuPage only made 9 two-point shots all game and shot better from the “2” than the “3”. They shot 17/55 (30.9%) from the field, 8/22 (36.4%) from the “3”, and 26/31 (83.9%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 45-24. SSC improved to 26-2 on the season.

Madison College 2/13/24

The #3 Bulldogs won their 61st straight home game as they defeated Madison College 108-53. SSC jumped to an early 37-9 lead with 6:20 to go in the first half. They led 52-21 at half time. The second half started out like the first for the Bulldogs. They opened up the second half on a 30-10 run and took an 82-31 lead with 11:22 left in the game. They never looked back after that.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones with 35 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Julius Byrd scored a career high 23 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Freshman forward Quentin Heady recorded a double/double as he scored 17 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. South Suburban shot 40/81 (49.4%) from the field, 9/25 (36%) from behind the 3-point line, and 19/27 (70.4%) from the free throw line. Madison shot 18/50 (36%) from the field, 4/12 (33.3%) from the “3”, and 13/18 (72.2%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs improved to 25-2 on the season.

Illinois Valley Community College 2/10/24

The #3 Bulldogs won on the road at Illinois Valley 94-68 and improved to 24-2 on the season. Illinois Valley started out the game with a 9-2 lead with 17:20 to go in the first half. SSC would go on a 16-0 run and take a 18-9 lead with 10:00 to go. Illinois Valley would then go on a 9-4 run and close the gap to 22-18 with 7:00 to go. The Bulldogs would close out the first half on a 24-11 run and take a 46-29 lead into the halftime break. SSC opened up the second half on a 4-0 run and led 50-29 with 18:00 to go in the game. Illinois Valley would then go on a 14-4 run of their own and close the gap to 54-43 with 14:00 to go. They would never get any closer and SSC pulled away with the 26-point victory.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 35 points. He also grabbed 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs had three other players score in double figures. Sophomores LeQuan Washington (15 points), Tremear Fraley (12 points), and Julius Byrd (10 points). South Suburban shot 38/71 (53.5%) from the field, 3/8 (37.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 15/16 (93.8%) from the free throw line. The Illinois Valley stats were not available since they do not do statistics at their gym.

Danville Area Community College 2/6/24

The Bulldogs moved up to #3 this week in the NJCAA Division II Poll and celebrated it with a 71-53 victory over Danville Area CC. The lead went back-and-forth in the first half. The lead changed 5 times. Danville jumped out to an early 10-8 lead with 13:40 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs would take the lead for good at 26-24 with 4:30 left to go. SSC led 33-29 at halftime. South Suburban would start the second half on a 32-13 run and take their biggest lead of the game at 65-42 with 6:19 left to go in the game. They would never lose the big lead and improved to 23-2 on the season.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones with 28 points. He filled up the stat sheet, as well, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and snatching 5 steals. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 13 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. The Bulldogs had a season high of 12 block shots as a team (9 by sophomore guard Julius Byrd, a career high). It was the 60th straight home victory for SSC. South Suburban shot 28/69 (40.6%) from the field, 4/13 (30.8%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 11/14 (78.6%) from the free throw line. Danville shot 22/61 (36.1%) from the field, 6/12 (50%) from the “3”, and 3/6 (50%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 37-32.

Kankakee Community College 2/1/24

The newly named (in the NJCAA Division II poll) #4 Bulldogs won their 59th straight home game as they defeated NJCAA Division 1 Kankakee Community College 105-74. The game started even at 6-6 with 14:00 to go in the first half. SSC would go on a 26-10 run and take a 32-16 lead with 8:00 left to go. They would never lose their double-digit lead and led 59-38 at halftime. Kankakee would score the first 4 points in the second half and get the deficit to 17 at 59-42, but the Bulldogs would not let them get any closer.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones (36 points). He almost recorded his 2nd triple double of the season as he grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. The Bulldogs had 2 other players score in double figures. Freshman forward Quentin Heady recorded a double/double as he scored 21 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Julius Byrd scored 11 points while dishing out 5 assists. South Suburban shot 40/76 (52.6%) from the field, 10/22 (45.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 15/19 (78.9%) from the free throw line. Kankakee shot 27/70 (38.6%) from the field, 3/12 (25%) from the “3”, and 12/17 (65.4%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 43-37. They also had 31 assists on 40 made baskets. The Bulldogs improved to 22-2 on the season. During Coach John Pigatti’s 18 seasons at South Suburban College, the Bulldogs home record is an incredible 283-15 (.95).

Black Hawk College 1/27/24

The #5 Bulldogs finished their 3 games in 5 days homestand with an 84-57 victory over Black Hawk College. The Bulldogs improved to 21-2 on the season. The game started out tight as Black Hawk led 11-8 with 16:00 to go in the first half. SSC would tie the game at 17 with 11:45 to go. The Bulldogs closed out the first half on a 26-10 run and led 43-27 at halftime. Black Hawk would get as close as 11 points at 50-39 with 16:00 to go, but could not close the gap any further. SSC would proceed to go on a 28-10 run and led 78-49 with 3:00 to go in the game. The Bulldogs never looked back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones. He almost outscored the entire Black Hawk team as he tossed in 51 points. It was his 2nd 50+ point performance in the past 2 weeks. He would also grab 9 rebounds. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore forward LeQuan Washington. He would record a double double as he scored 10 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. SSC won the rebounding battle 57-41. South Suburban shot 34/75 (45.3%) from the field, only 1/13 (7.7%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 15/21 (71.4%) from the free throw line. Black Hawk shot 17/65 (26.2%) from the field, 3/22 (13.6%) from the “3”, and 20/32 (62.5%) from the free throw line.

Olive-Harvey College 1/25/24

The #5 Bulldogs continued their home stand and played the 2nd game of a 3-game stretch this week as they took on Olive-Harvey. They won their 57th straight home game as they defeated their guest 111-76. SSC opened the game with a 6-0 run and expanded that lead to 53-31 at halftime. The Bulldogs opened up the second half on a 19-8 run and took a 72-39 lead with 15:00 to go. They would never look back as they improved to 20-2 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 26 points on just 26 minutes of play. Jones, a transfer from Olive-Harvey, also recorded a triple double on his former team as he grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. He also snatched 4 steals. SSC had 5 other players score in double figures: Freshman forward Quentin Head (17 points), sophomores Chris Harrison (13 points), Julius Byrd (11 points), Tremear Fraley (10 points) and LeQuan Washington (10 points). SSC won the rebounding battle 50-23. South Suburban shot 46/76 (60.5%) from the field, 5/14 (35.7%) from behind the “3”-pont line, and 14/20 (70%) from the free throw line. Olive-Harvey shot 23/65 (35.4%) from the field, 5/20 (25%) from the “3”, and 25/36 (69.4%) from the free throw line.

Joliet Junior College 1/23/24

The #5 Bulldogs returned to South Holland for a 5-game homestand. They opened it up vs. Joliet JC. It started in a successful way as they defeated the visitors 92-54, and improved to 19-2 on the season. SSC opened up with an 11-0 lead, and Joliet played them even the rest of the way in the first half. South Suburban led 39-28 at halftime. SSC opened the second half on a 15-2 run to take a 54-30 lead with 16:48 to go in the game. Their 38-point victory margin was their largest lead of the game.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 32 points. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. SSC had 2 other players score in double digits. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 15 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kenton Wright Jr. scored 13 points while dishing out 6 assists. SSC shot 34/71 (47.9%) from the field, 8/17 (47.1%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 16/22 (72.7%) from the free throw line. Joliet shot 19/56 (33.9%) from the field, 4/18 (22.2%) from the “3”, and 12/16 (75%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs dominated the rebounding war 51-21.

Milwaukee (WI) Area Technical College 1/20/24

It was a battle of the last 2 defending national champions. It was also a top 10 match up as the #3 Bulldogs traveled to #8 Milwaukee Area Tech. After a tough battle, the Stormers defeated SSC 84-77. South Suburban’s leading scorer, Jemel Jones, was in foul trouble the entire game. He fouled out with 4:20 to go in the game and only played 22 minutes.

The game stated with Milwaukee taking a 5-0 lead with 18:22 left to go in the first half. SSC would take its first lead of the game at 11-9 with 14:20 to go. The lead would change 14 times during the game. Milwaukee would take its biggest lead of the first half at 30-23 with 6:00 to go. The Bulldogs would close the first half on a 17-6 run and take a 40-36 into the halftime break. For most of the first 11:00 of the second half, SSC would have a lead in the game. South Suburban would take its last lead in the second half at 61-60 with 9:42 left to go in the game. Milwaukee would go on a 9-0 run to take a 69-61 lead with 6:58 to go. The Bulldogs would get as close as 3 on several occasions after Jones fouled out. However, they could never make the possessions count. They turned the ball over 2 times in a row when the score was 76-73 with 1:31 to go and they could never recover. SSC fell to 18-2 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by Jones’ 19 points. Freshman forward Quentin Heady would score 17 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore guard Kenton Wright Jr. (13 points). SSC shot 29-68 (42.6%) from the field, 3/15 (20%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 16/21 (76.2%) from the free throw line. Milwaukee Area Tech shot 28/60 (46.7%) from the field, 3/17 (17.6%) from the “3”, and 25/37 (67.6%) from the free throw line.

Bryant and Stratton College – Milwaukee 1/17/24

The #3 Bulldogs, who were shorthanded, improved to 18-1 on the season as they won a road contest at previously nationally ranked Bryant & Stratton (WI) College 93-81 in overtime. SSC jumped out early as they led 10-0 with 13:00 to go in the first half. Bryant & Stratton (WI) would fight back and take a 31-30 lead at halftime. Bryant & Stratton would score the first 5 points in the second half and take a 36-30 lead with 18:30 left to go in the game. The Bulldogs would fight back and take their biggest lead in the second half at 50-42 with 12:00 to go in the game. Bryan & Stratton would take a 70-69 lead with 2:00 to go when SSC scored the next 4 points and took a 3-point lead with :23 to go. Bryant Stratton’s Karter Thomas would make a 3-point shot to tie the game at 73 with :11 to go. SSC sophomore guard Julius Byrd would get fouled with :05 to go and make both free throws to give SSC a 75-73 lead. However, Bryant & Stratton’s Parker Grant would drive the ball the length of the court and make a lay-up as time expired to force overtime. SSC would score the first 7 points in the overtime and never look back.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 36 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. Freshman forward Quentin Heady recorded a double/double as he scored a career high 24 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Julius Byrd was the only other Bulldog to score in double figures as he scored 16 points while grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. South Suburban shot 36/68 (52.9%) from the field, 7/23 (30.4%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 14/18 (77.8%) from the free throw line. Bryant & Stratton (WI) shot 32/60 (53.3%) from the field, 9/25 (36%) from the “3”, and 8/16 (50%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 34-30.

The Bosco Institute 1/16/24

The newly ranked #3 Bulldogs won their 55th straight home game as they defeated The Bosco Institute 124-58. Bosco led briefly at 4-2 with 18:00 to go in the first half. SSC would go on a 21-0 run and take a 23-4 lead with 12:10 left to go. The Bulldogs led at halftime 60-26. SSC would start the second half on a 36-6 run and led 96-32 with 11:50 to go and never looked back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones, who scored an SSC record and career high 56 points. He also dished out 12 assists, grabbed 11 rebounds and snatched 6 steals. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 21 points, while grabbing 5 rebounds, snatching 5 steals and blocking 5 shots. Sophomore guard Reggie Abram (Hammond HS) scored a career high 20 points. Two other Bulldogs scored in double figures: Sophomores Julius Byrd (Hammond HS) (12 points) and Tremear Fraley (10 points). SSC has 30 assists on 46 made field goals. South Suburban shot 46/70 (65.7%) from the field, 11/19 (57.9%) from behind the “3” point line, and 21/24 (87.5%) from the free throw line. The Bosco Institute shot 18/53 (34%) from the field, 4/19 (21.1%) from the “3”, and 18/20 (90%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 29-22. The Bulldogs improved to 17-1 on the season.

Parkland College 1/9/24

For the second time during Coach John Pigatt’s 18 seasons at SSC, the Bulldogs hosted the #1 team in the country. Both times they were victorious. This time they beat Parkland College 95-86 and improved to 16-1 on the season. SSC took an early 17-8 lead with 14:00 to go in the first half. Parkland would close the gap to 26-24 with 9:00 to go. The Bulldogs would close out the first half on a 23-12 run and take a 49-36 lead into the halftime break. SSC would open the second half on a 11-4 run and take their biggest lead of the game at 60-40 with 17:00 to go in the game. The game was 64-44 when Parkland would then go on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 64-51 with 14:00 to go. Parkland could get only as close as eight at 86-78 with 5:00 to go. South Suburban never relinquish its lead and defeated the current #1 team in the country.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 37 points. He filled out the stat sheet as he dished out 9 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds, and snatched 4 steals. SSC’s freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 16 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore guard Julius Byrd who scored 12 points while dishing out 5 assists. SSC shot 36/66 (51.5%) from the field, 7/15 (46.7%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 20/21 (95.2%) from the free throw line. Parkland shot 32/59 (54.2%) from the field, 8/20 (40%) from the “3”, and 14/17 (82.4%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 28-24.

Waubonsee Community College 1/6/24

The # 5 Bulldogs concluded their first road trip of the new year with a game vs. #15 Waubonsee CC. They won their 5th game vs. a nationally ranked opponent this year with a 105-79 victory. The game started out nip and tuck. Waubonsee held a 13-12 lead with 14:50 to go int he first half. SSC then went on a 13-2 run to take a 25-15 lead with 12:00 to go. Waubonsee closed the gap to 28-25 with 10:20 to go. The Bulldogs would then go on a 34-9 run and take a 62-34 lead with 2:12 to go. Waubonsee would then close out the first half on a 7-0 run and SSC led 62-41 at halftime. Waubonsee could get no closer than 77-59 with 12:00 to go in the game. SSC would take their biggest lead of the game at 100-65 with 4:43 left. They would never look back as they improved to 15-1 on the season.

South Suburban had 5 players score in double figures led by sophomore guar Jemel Jones 31 points. (He scored 24 of those in the first half). Jones also filled up the state line as he grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, blocked 2 shots and snatched 3 steals. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 20 points. 3 other sophomores scored in double figures: Julius Byrd (12 pts.), Lequan Washington and Chris Harrison had 10 points apiece. SSC shot 41/75 (54.7%) from the field, 8/15 (53.3%) from behind the “3”-poinmt line, and 15/18 (83.3%) from the free throw line. Waubonsee shot 27/59 (45.8%) from the field, 6/15 (40%) from the “3”, and 19/25 (76%) from the free throw line. The Bulldog defense forced 21 Waubonsee turnovers. SSC won the rebounding battle 44-26.

Southwest Michigan 1/3/24

The # 5 Ranked Bulldogs opened the new calendar year with an 82-56 road victory at Southwestern Michigan College. SSC scored the first 7 points of the game and took a 20-13 lead with 7:00 to go in the first half. They would take a 36-24 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs would open the second half on a 15-7 run a take a 51-31 lead with 13:20 left to go in the game. They would take their biggest lead of the game at 78-51 with 3:20 left to go and never looked back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 21 points. He would also grab 12 rebounds, and dish out 5 assists. The Bulldogs had 3 other players score in double figures. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 17 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. Sophomore guards Julius Byrd and Kenton Wright Jr. would score 12 and 11 points respectfully. South Suburban shot 31/68 (45.6%) from the field, 6/12 (50%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 14/23 (60.9%) from the free throw line. Southwestern Michigan shot 16/44 (36.4%) from the field, 2/8 (25%) from the “3”, and 24/32 (75%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 46-29.

Macomb Community College 12/30/23

The #5 Bulldogs hosted another top ranked team. This time it was #6 Macomb CC. In the end the Bulldogs won their 53rd straight home game with an 89-77 victory to improve to 13-1 on the season. The game started with SSC taking an early 6-0 lead. Macomb would go on a 8-2 run to tie the game at 8 with 16:15 to go in the first half. The game would be close as South Suburban held a slim 30-26 lead with 6:00 to go. SSC would go on a 13-2 run and take a 43-28 lead with 1:45 to go. Macomb would close the first half on a 6-2 run and SSC led 45-34 at halftime.

The second half was a game of runs. SSC would open the second half on a 18-7 run and take their largest lead of the game at 63-41 with 13:45 to go in the game. Macomb would then go on a 9-0 run and close the gap to 63-50 with 11:19 to go. SSC would extend the lead to 79-62 with 4:20 to go and never look back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 31 points. He would also record a double-double as he grabbed 10 rebounds. He also dished out 6 assists. Freshman forward Quentin Heady would also record a double-double for the Bulldogs as he scored 20 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. The only other double-digit scorer for SSC was sophomore forward Lequan Washington who scored 11 points of his own. SSC shot 37/74 (50%) from the field, 1/7 (14.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 14/23 (60.9%) from the free throw line. Macomb, who came into the game as the 6th ranked offensive team in the country, only made 24 total field goals. They shot 24/60 (40%) from the field, 3/19 (15/8%) from the “3”, and 25/40 from the free throw line. South Suburban won the rebounding battle 38-34.

Spoon River College 12/22/23

The #5 Bulldogs headed into the Christmas Holiday with a tough 82-76 victory over Spoon River College. It was SSC’s 52nd straight home victory and improved their record to 12-1 on the season. The game started with the Bulldogs taking an early 15-6 lead with 13:45 to go in the first half. Spoon River would not give up any more ground and only trailed SSC 37-31 at halftime. Spoon River opened up the second half on an 8-3 run and pulled to within one at 40-39 with 15:16 left to go in the game. South Suburban would increase their lead to 76-57 with 5:00 to go in the game. However, Spoon River would not quit and would hold SSC to only 6 points the rest of the way. They went on a 15-0 run to cut the Bulldog’s lead to 76-72 with 1:00 to go. SSC would not relinquish the lead and headed into the short Christmas break with the 6-point victory.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 31 points. He would also grab 7 rebounds, dish out 7 assists and snatch 2 steals. The only other Bulldog to score in double figures was freshman forward Quentin Heady. He scored 19 points while grabbing 8 rebounds to help SSC win the rebounding battle 31-28. South Suburban shot 34/73 (46.6%) from the field, 8/17 (47.1%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 6/7 (85.7%) from the free throw line. Spoon River shot 28/51 (54.9%) from the field, 2/9 (22.2%) from the “3”, and 18/25 (72%) from the free throw line.

St. Clair County College (MI) 12/20/23

The #5 Bulldogs won another home game vs a nationally ranked opponent. SSC defeated St Clair County 99-88 to improve to 11-1 on the season The victory was the 500th career win for Head Coach John Pigatti. His career record stands at 500-92 (.845). All during his 18 seasons at SSC.

The game started out with the Bulldogs taking an early 19-8 lead with 14:00 to go in the first half. They extended it to 40-27 with 3:50 to go. However, St Clair fought back and only trailed SSC 47-38 at halftime. St. Clair opened the second half on a 4-point play (making a “3”-point shot and getting fouled). They would close the gap to 61-57 with 13:50 to go in the game. SSC would proceed to go on a 28-14 run and take their biggest lead at 89-71 with 4:00 left to go. St. Clair never got any closer than 9 points the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs had 3 players score in double figures. Soph G Jemel Jones led all scorers with 39 points. He also grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and snatched 4 steals. Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Julius Byrd chipped in 15 pts while grabbing 7 rebounds of his own. South Suburban shot 37/77 (48.1%) from the field, 2/7 (28.6%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 23/27 (85.2%) from the free throw line. St. Clair shot 25/45 (55.6%) from the field, 6/12 (50%) from the “3”, and 32/42( 76.2%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 38-28.

Henry Ford 12/16/23

In a big time battle between two ranked teams the #5 Bulldogs prevailed over the #11 Hawks from Henry Ford College 86-75. The game started with the visiting Henry Ford Hawks being the aggressor. The game was close at 16-13 with 13:48 to go in the first half. Henry Ford would proceed to go on a 18-4 run and take their biggest lead of the game at 34-17 with 8:00 left to go. However, SSC would not quit. They showed extreme perseverance and ended the first half on a 22-6 run and only trailed 40-39 at halftime. The Bulldogs would open the second half with an offensive rebound put back by sophomore forward Tremear Fraley (One of his 13 rebounds for the game) and take a 41-40 lead. The game would be tied at 45 with 18:00 to go when Henry Ford went on their last scoring run of the game. They would score the next 8 points of the game and take a 53-45 lead with 17:00 left to go in the game. South Suburban wpu;d proceed to go on an 11-2 run of their own and take a 56-55 lead with 13:56 to go. HEnry Ford’s last lead of the game was 60-59 with 12:16 to go. SSC would proceed to go on a 17-6 run and take a 76-66 lead with 5:55 to go. They would never look back and proceed to win their 50th straight home contest and improve to 10-1 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 36 points. He would also record a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds, while dishing out 6 assists and snatching 3 steals. SSC sophomore forward LeQuan Washington’s play early in the game kept the Bulldogs within striking distance. He would be the only other double digit scorer for the Bulldogs as he scored 18 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. The game marked the return of sophomore guard Julius Byrd. He has been sidelined by a broken hand and foot. He would score 8 points, grab 8 rebounds, dish out 5 assists, and snatch 3 steals. South Suburban won the rebounding battle 44-29. South Suburban shot 40-78 (51.3%) from the field, 4/17 (23.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and only 2/5 (40%) from the free throw line. Henry Ford shot 31/71 (43.7%) from the field, 10/33 (30.3%) from the “3”, and 3/9 (33.3%) from the free throw line.

The victory was Head Coach John Pigatti’s 499th as a head coach (all at South Suburban College)..HIs career record in 499-92. He will go for his 500th win this Wednesday December 20, 2023. The game will be an afternoon matinee at 1pm vs.nationally ranked St. Clair County (MI) CC. The Bulldogs are in a tough 11 game swing where they play 8 nationally ranked teams.

Jackson Community College 12/9/23

The #1 ranked Bulldogs needed to gain a split on their Michigan road trip. They succeeded in that with a 71-67 victory at Jackson (MI) CC. However, Jackson led early 10-6 with 1:00 left to go in the first half. SSC would rally and take a 39-34 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs would maintain the lead in the second half despite some poor shooting. They would lead 69-67 with :12 to go in the game when they would miss a front end of a 1 and 1 free throw. However, SSC freshman forward Quentin Heady would come up with a huge offensive rebound on the missed free throw and clear the ball out to sophomore forward LeQuan Washington. Jackson would foul Washington. He would proceed to make both clutch free throws to preserve the 4-point victory. SSC improved to 9-1 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 24 ponts (16 in the first half). He would also grab 6 rebounds. Heady would be the only other double digit scorer for the Bulldogs as he scored 20 points of his own. SSC shot 26/60 (43.3%) from the field, 5/16 (31.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 14/16 (87.5%) from the free throw line. Jackson would shoot 24/58 (41.4%) from the field, 4/13 (30.8%) from the “3”,and 15/17 (88.2%) from the free throw line. South Suburban would win the rebounding battle 34-29.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College 12/8/23

The #1 ranked Bulldogs traveled to Kalamazoo (MI) Valley CC for a top 15 contest vs. the nationally ranked Cougars. The host was victorious after giving up a huge lead to the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs dropped to 8-1 on the season. The game was close to start as Kalamazoo Valley lead 17-13 with 11:49 to go in the first half. KVCC would go on an 18-4 run and take their biggest lead of the game at 35-17 with 6:43 to go. They would go into the halftime break with a 50-35 lead. KVCC would lead 61-46 with 14:00 to go in the game. SSC would go on a 26-10 run and take their first lead of the game at 72-71 with 5:00 left to go. The Bulldogs still led 76-75 with 2:00 to go but would only score 2 points the rest of the way and lose 83-75.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 33 points. He also had 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Freshman forward Quentin Heady would be the only other Bulldog to score in double figures as he recorded a double-double of his own (18 points, and 10 rebounds). South Suburban shot 28/80 (36.25%) from the field, a chilly 3/26 (11.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 17/28 (60.7%) from the free throw line. Kalamazoo Valley shot 24/54 (44.4%) from the field, 4/19 (21.1%) from the “3”,and 31/44 (70.5%) from the free throw line.

Prairie State College 12/5/23

The #1 Bulldogs traveled to their south suburbs rival Prairie State and came out with a 101-75 victory to improve to 8-0 on the season. SSC took an early 11-2 lead. They expanded it to 29-10 with 9:45 to go in the first half. However it is a rivalry and Prairie State would not fold. They went on a 25-11 run to close to within 5 points at 40-35 with 3:00 to go. SSC would then pick up their intensity and close the half on a 16-1 run and took a 56-36 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs would extend the lead to 88-55 with 9:00 left to go and never look back.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones who scored a career high 48 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and snatching 6 steals. Freshman forward Quentin Heady would score all of his 19 points in the first half while grabbing 10 rebounds for the game. South Suburban shot 40/82 (48.8%) from the field, a chilly 1/14 (7.14%) from behind the “3”-point line, but a sizzling 20/23 (87%) from the free throw line. Prairie State shot 21/57 (36.8%) from the field, 4/18 (22.2%) from the “3”, and 29/38 (76.3%) from the free throw line.

Morton College 12/2/23

The #1 ranked Bulldogs won their toughest road game to date as they trailed for a good portion of the game at Morton College. In the end they prevailed 96-87 to improve to 7-0 on the season. Morton opened the game on a 10-2 run. SSC tied the game at 24 with 4:43 to go in the first half. Morton would take a 43-34 lead with :50 seconds to go. SSC would close the first half on a 5-0 and trailed 43-39 at half time. Morton would take their biggest lead of the second half at 51-43 with 16:50 to go in the game. South Suburban would battle back and take the lead for good at 62-59 on a “3”-point play the old fashioned way (made basket and 1 free throw). SSC would extend their lead to 87-74 with 3:43 to go and they never looked back after that. Freshman Quentin Heady scored all 17 points int eh second half, and sophomore forward Lequan Washington chipped in 10 points of his own.

South Suburban had 4 players score in double figures led by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 30 points. Sophomore guard Reggie Abranm would score a career high 18 points and made big “3” point baskets when the Bulldogs were trailing by 7 points or more. Freshman forward Quentin Heady would score all of his 17 points in the second half. He also grabbed all 7 rebounds in the second half. Sophomore forward LeQuan Washington chipped in 10 points as well.

South suburban shot 30-67 (44.8%) from the field, 8/23 (34.8%) from the “3”, and were 28/34 (82.4%) from the free throw line. Morton shot 27-50 (54%) from the field, 4/11 (36.4%) from the “3”, and 29-35 (82.9%) from the free throw line. SSC would win the rebounding battle 33-26

Marian University – Ancilla 11/28/23

The #1 Bulldogs returned from the Thanksgiving break and maintained their momentum from before the holiday.  They defeated visiting Marian Univ. (Ancilla) 75-48.  The home victory was their 49th straight home victory.  Coach Pigatti improved his home record to 273-15 during his 18 seasons at the helm.

The game started with SSC leading 19-14 with 10:00 left to go in the first half.  They held Ancilla to only 7 points the rest of the half and took a 38-21 into the halftime break.  The Bulldogs would get the lead to as big as 30 at 63-35 with 7:30 to go in the game and never looked back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard (the nation’s leading scorer and National Player-of-the-Week) Jemel Jones.  He filled the stats sheet up as he scored 27 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and snatched a career high 8 steals. 2 other Bulldogs scored in double figures.  Sophomore guard had 13 points, and Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 11 points.  South Suburban shot 30/67 (44.8%) from the field, 6/16 (37.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and were 9-11 (81.8%) from the free throw line.  Ancilla shot 17/53 (32.1%) from the field, 2/15 (13.3%) from the “3′, and 12/15 (80%) from the free throw line.  SSC won the rebounding battle 35-29.

Oakton Community College 11/21/23

The night before its road contest the Bulldogs were named the new #1 team in the country from the NJCAA Division 2 poll.  They showed why with a convincing 103-48 road victory at Oakton CC.  SSC started the game with a 17-5 run with 11:26 to go in the first half. They would take a 47-24 lead into the halftime break.  SSC was still only up 23 with 16:42 to go in the game with a 55-32 lead.  They pushed the lead to 46-43 with 8:30 to go in the game.  The Bulldogs would hold Oakton to only 5 points the rest of the way for the 55-point victory.

South Suburban was led in scoring by newly named National Player-of-the-week Jemel jones.  He recorded a double/double for the 4th time this season as he scored 28 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.  Jones also filled up the stat sheet with 7 Assists, 3 Steals, 3 Blocks.  There were 3 other sophomores who scored in double/figures: Tremear Fraley (14 points, 8 rebounds), Lequan Washington (10 points, 7 rebounds).  Freshman forward Quentin Heady continues to play well as he tied his career high with 22 points while grabbing 8 rebounds.  South Suburban shot 44/76 (57.9%) from the field, 4/15 (26.7%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 11.16 (68.8%).  Oakton shot 16-58 (27.6%) from the field, 5-19 26.3%) from the “3”, and 11-22 (50%) from the free throw line.  SSC out rebounded their hist 58-19.

College of Lake County 11/18/23

The #2 Bulldogs opened their road portion of the schedule at Lake County.  They started out slow but in the end prevailed with a 72-55 victory to improve to 4-0 on the season.  Lake County held a 17-11 lead with 11:30 to go in the first half.  SSC took the lead for good after Freshman guard Marlon Byrd made 2 free throws that gave the Bulldogs a 21-19 lead with 5:53 to go.  SSC led 34-26 at halftime.  Lake County would keep the game close.  They only trailed 46-40 with 8:00 to go in the game.  The Bulldogs out scored their host 26-15 the rest of the way for the 17-point victory.

South Suburban was led in scoring by Sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 27 points.  He also recorded his 3rd double/double of the season as he grabbed 15 rebounds. He also dished out 4 assists, snatched 4 steals, and blocked 2 shots.  Freshman forward Quentin Heady scored 20 points for the Bulldogs while grabbing 5 rebounds, and snatching 3 steals.  SSC shot 30-59 (50.8%) from the field, 3/12 (25%) from behind the “3”-point line, and a dismal 9-17 (52.9%) from the free throw line.  Lake County shot 19-41 (46.3%) from the field, 7-14 (50%) from the “3”, and only 10-22 (45.5%) from the free throw line.  SSC won the rebounding battle 34-20.

McHenry County College 11/14/23

Earlier in the day the Bulldogs moved up to #2 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll.  They proved why as SSC defeated visiting McHenry County CC 109-78.  The Bulldogs started out strong with an 8-0 run and took a 55-37 lead into the halftime break. McHenry would not let SSC pull away and still only trailed 81-62 with 7:30 to go.  However, the Bulldogs turned up their defense and finished on a 28-16 run for the 31-point victory.

South Suburban had 4 players score in double figures led by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 41 points. He would also grab 10 rebounds, dish out 3 assists and snatch 3 steals.  Sophomores LeQuan Washington (Fwd.) and Kenton Wright Jr, (Gd.) would score 17 and 10 points respectively.   Freshman forward Quentin Heady would have a career night for the Bulldogs as he recorded career highs in both scoring and rebounding. He would score 22 points while grabbing 16 rebounds. HE would also snatch 5 steals.  South Suburban shot 46/91 (50.5%) from the field, 5/16 (31.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 17/23 (70.6%) from the free throw line.  McHenry would shoot 26/73 (36.6%) from the field, 7/21 (33.3%) from the “3”, and 19/26 (73.1%) from the free throw line.  SSC outrebounded McHenry 57-32.  South Suburban improved to 3-0 on the season.

Elgin Community College 11/07/23

The #5 Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the season with a 84-62 victory over visiting Elgin CC. Elgin opened the game with a 6-2 lead and the SSC went on a 10-0 run to take a 10-6 lead with 15:30 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs opened the lead to 22-9 with 9:43 to go. Elgin would close the gap to 33-28 with 2:00 to go but SSC would take a 40-30 lead into the halftime break. South Suburban opened the second half on a 13-3 run to take a 53-33 lead with 14:30 to go. They would extend the lead to 67-39 with 9:15 to go and never looked back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 33 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 6 assists, snatched 8 steals, and blocked 4 shots. The only other double digit scorer was sophomore forward LeQuan Washington who scored 19 points while grabbing 7 rebounds of his own. South Suburban shot 37-83 (44.6%) from the field, and did not make a “3” point shot (0-9) which was the first time that has happened since Coach Pigatti became Head Coach 17 years ago. They also shot 10-16 (62.5%) from the free throw line. Elgin shot 21-58 (36.2%) from the field, 6/25 (24%) from the “3”, and 14-24 (58.3%) from the free throw line. SSC out rebounded Elgin 42-40.

Trinity Christian (JV)

The Bulldogs opened up their 2023-24 season with an 128-37 drubbing of Trinity Christian Uni (JV). The game was never in doubt. The Bulldogs lead 35-9 early midway through the first half and took a 65-20 lead into the halftime break. They never squander from there as the opened their season with a victory.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones 26 points. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. The Bulldogs had 7 players score in double figures. 12/13 players scored for the Bulldogs. Other double digit scorers were: Sophomores: Lequan Washington (14pts-career high), Brandon Adorno (14 pts-career high), Tremear Fraley (14 pts.-career high). Fraley also recorded a double/double as he grabbed 14 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kenton Wright Jr. scored 12 points. Freshman guard Marlon Byrd scored a career high 15 points. His brother; sophomore guard Julius Byrd scored 12 points of his own.

South Suburban shot 56/84 (66.7%) from the field, 12/24(50%) from behind the “3” point line, and 4/6 (66/7%) from the free throw line. Trinity Christian (JV) shot 13/54 (24.1%) from the field, 2/24 (8.3%) from the “3”, and 9/19 (47.4%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs out rebounded their visitors 55-15.