PALATINE, ILL. - Just about everything possible went right for the Madison College men's basketball team Friday in a 104-69 drubbing of Harper College in a North Central Community College Conference and Region 4 matchup. The WolfPack posted its highest point total and shooting percentage in a game this season en route to matching their largest margin of victory in 2022-23.
Keith Hoffman and
Deante Luster both scored better than 20 points in the win, with Hoffman reaching a career milestone and Luster nearly posting a triple-double.
Hoffman, a native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, tallied 29 points and seven rebounds to become the first player in program history with 900 career points and 450 career rebounds. He finished 14 of 18 from the floor and made his lone free throw to reach 918 points and 462 rebounds, placing him eighth on both the all-time scoring and rebounding lists. The 6'8" forward/center, who also dished out four assists, grabbed two steals, and blocked one shot, has reached or surpassed the 20-point plateau 11 times this season.
Luster, a freshman from Columbia, South Carolina, scored the game's first basket, and four minutes later he dropped in another layup to break a 6-6 tie and give Madison College the lead for good. It triggered a 14-4 run that gave the WolfPack a double-digit lead 7:14 into the game. The Hawks continued to battle and keep the differential moving from single to double digits, however, five straight points by Hoffman keyed a 14-5 closing stretch over the final five minutes of the half to make it 49-31.
Despite an early 9-2 surge by Harper College to begin the second half and close within 11, Madison College got a dunk by Hoffman to propel them into a 14-0 burst and visitors had full control of the game. They later added runs of six, seven, and eight points, the latter of which saw sophomore
Cortez Telfered bury back-to-back three-pointers and Hoffman convert a layup to put Madison College at 100 points for the first time this season.
Luster, a 6'3" guard/forward, posted 26 points, a career-high ten assists, and nine rebounds to just miss a triple-double. The double-double is the third this season for Luster, who was 10 of 14 overall and converted all six free throws to give him four games with 20 or more points. He led the team defensively with three steals.
Peter Gustafson scored 12 points in reserve duty, going a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and 2 for 2 at the stripe. The freshman also added four rebounds and an assist. Telfered, a second year guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, used his two long-range hits to reach ten points, five assists, three boards, and two steals.
Madison College made 44 of 67 field goal attempts for a 65.7% from the field for their top mark in a game this season, while also successfully hitting 12 of 12 free throws for the first time in a game this season and extending a streak of games with an 80% or better effort at the stripe to six.
The WolfPack outrebounded the Hawks by a 37-19 margin, and held a 13-2 edge in second chance scoring. Their real dominance in the paint, with a 74-18 lead in interior points.
The sweep of the regular season series with Harper College give the WolfPack a nine-game win streak in head-to-head meetings, and extended their lead in the all-time series to 20-10.
Region 4 Tournament:
Madison College (15-11, 5-2) was awarded the top seed for the upcoming
2023 NJCAA Region 4 Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, which will be played at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois, on February 24 and 26. The WolfPack will open semifinal play against #4-seeded Harper College (4-23, 0-8) in a 6:00 p.m. game on Friday. The meeting will mark the third postseason get-together between the two programs, and the first such since the 2010-11 season. Madison College has won both prior postseason games with the Hawks. The winner will advance to Sunday's 3:30 p.m. championship game against the winner of the other semifinal between #2-seed College of DuPage (17-13, 4-4) and #3-seed Joliet Junior College (8-18, 3-5).
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