Grand Rapids 12/16/24

The #13 Bulldogs suffered their worst and most embarrassing loss of Coach John Pigatti’s tenure (19 seasons) at SSC and they fell behind by 28 points int he first half and never recovered in a 99-82 loss. They fell to 9-3 on the season. They have now lost 2 in a row. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by freshman guard Tanner Fields 17 points. Three other Bulldogs scored in double figures: Samar Bures (15 pts.), AJ Abrams (12 pts.), and Kuba Senczyszyn (11 pts.). South Suburban shot 33/63 (52.4%) from the field, 7/10 (70%) from behind the “3” point line, and 9/16 (56.3%) from the free throw line. Grand Rapids shot a sizzling 33/54 (61.1%) from the field, 9/16 (56.3%) from the “3”, and a perfect 24/24 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 33-30.

Danville Area Community College 12/14/24

The #8 Bulldogs lost a tough one on the road after blowing an 8-point lead with 3:32 to go in the game. They lost in overtime to Danville Area CC 89-86. Danville jumped out early and took a 10-5 lead with 14:00 to go in the first half. SSC would then go on a 23-8 run and take their biggest lead of the game at 28-18 with 7:30 to go. Danville would close the first half on a 22-10 run and take a slim 40-38 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs would open the second half on a 20-10 run and take a 58-50 lead with 2:00 to go in the game. They would continue to lead 75-67 with 3:32 to go. However, after several Bulldog miscues Danville would tie the game at 79 with :20 to go. SSC was at the free throw line with :20 to go but missed both free throws that would have given them the lead, and the game went into overtime tied at 79. Danville would jump out to an 85-79 lead in the OT. SSC would then go on a 7-0 run and lead 86-85 with :20 to go. Danville would score on a South Suburban defensive error, and the Bulldogs would have the ball on the sideline with :06 to go down 87-86. SSC would proceed to turn the ball over on the inbounds pass, and Danville would score to take a 3-point lead with 2.1 seconds to go. South Suburban would run a full court set play and get a good “3”-point look, but the shot rimmed in and out and the Bulldogs fell to 9-2 on the season.

SSC had 4 players score in double figures led by freshman guard Tyler Wooten’s 23 points and 6 rebounds. Freshmen guards AJ Abrams and Samar Bures scored 18 points apiece. They both also grabbed 7 rebounds. Bures dished out 9 assists and snatched 5 steals. Sophomore guard Taurean Micken rounded out the double figure scorers with 16 points. while snatching 4 steals of his own. South Suburban shot 32/62 (51%) from the field, 4/12 (33.3%) from behind the “3” point line, and 18/24 (75%) from the free throw line. Danville would make 25/39 free throw to help them with the victory. The Bulldogs return home for a 3-game home stand this week. All their games are vs. nationally ranked teams.

Elgin Community College 12/07/24

The #9 Bulldogs overcame a 15-point first half deficit and pulled ahead with 1:20 left in the game. SSC won a tough road match against Elgin Community College 97-90. Elgin opened up with a 28-13 lead with 10:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 17-8 run and closed the gap to 36-30 with 6:30 to go. They trailed 52-45 at halftime. The Bulldogs took their first lead at 63-62 with 13:46 left in the game. They continued to lead 80-78 with 5:00 remaining. Elgin went on an 8-0 run and lead 86-80 with 3:30 to go. Freshman guard Tyler Wooten scored a 10 foot jump shot with 2:10 left, giving SSC a brief 88-87 lead. Elgin made a free throw to tie the game at 88 with 1:30 to go. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens made a “3” point shot with 1:20 left to give SSC the lead for good at 91-88. SSC closed the game out on a 17-4 run for the 7-point victory.

Three Bulldogs scored a career high. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored a career high 21 points. Sophomore forward Demetrius Moss scored a career high 12 points. Other double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs were freshmen guards Tyler Wooten, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and AJ Abrams’ 13 points and 8 rebounds. SSC improved to 9-1 on the season. South Suburban shot 38/68 (55.9%) from the field, 3/13 (23.1%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 18/23 (78.3%) from the free throw line. Elgin, who was led by freshman guard Davee Flowers’ 33 points, shot 29/71 (40.8%) from the field, 12/33 (36.4%) from the “3”, and 20/34 (58.8%) from the free throw line.

Morton College 12/03/24

The Bulldogs moved up to #9 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, and took that ranking to their home contest against Morton. SSC played a hard-fought battle and was victorious 81-70. The game started with Morton taking a 26-25 lead with 6:00 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs closed the half out on a 19-6 run and lead 44-32 at halftime. The first 10:00 of the second half determined the game’s outcome. SSC outscored the visitors 21-9 and lead 65-41 with 10:00 to go in the game. The Bulldogs took their biggest lead at 77-51 with 5:00 to go. They were out scored by Morton 19-4 to end the game, but still prevailed with the double-digit victory.

SSC had 3 freshmen score in double figures, led by AJ Abrams’ 19 points. He filled the stat line with 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. Guard Tanner Fields scored a career high 17 points. Tyler Wooten chipped in 16 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 43-35. South Suburban shot 31/68 (45.6%) from the field, 7/21 (33.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 12/20 (60%) from the free throw line. Morton shot 23/56 (41.1%) from the field, 8/23 (34.8%) from the “3”, and 16/23 (69.6%) from the free throw line. SSC improved to 8-1 on the season.

Oakton College 11/26/24

The #10 Bulldogs won a tough home game vs. Oakton 80-73, in a game where Oakton never gave in to SSC’s big leads. Oakton started with an early 19-16 lead with 9:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 9-0 run to take a 25-19 lead with 6:30 left to go. The Bulldogs led 40-31 at halftime. The second half started with SSC holding Oakton scoreless for the first 3 minutes. However, Oakton did not give in and cut SSC’s lead to 65-58 with 4:54 left in the game. The Bulldogs applied defensive pressure and went on an 11-2 run, taking their biggest lead of the game at 76-60 with 3:20 to go. The Bulldogs held on for the 7-point victory.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 22 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds. Fellow freshman guard Samar Bures scored 18 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens chipped in 12 points. South Suburban shot 33/63 (52.3%) from the field, 6/13 (46.2%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 8/11 (72.7%) from the free throw line. Oakton shot 24/57 (42.1%) from the field, 10/29 (34.5%) from the “3”, and 15/19 (78.9%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 28-24. The Bulldogs improved to 7-1 on the season.

Prairie State College 11/23/24

The #10 Bulldogs continued their home stand with a 92-83 victory over Jackson (MI) College and improved Head Coach John Pigatti’s home record to 291-16 during his 19 seasons at SSC. The game started with the Bulldogs taking an early 34-19 lead with 9:00 to go in the first half. Jackson went on a 12-3 run and cut the lead to 37-31 with 5:00 to go. SSC closed the first half on a 13-4 run and took a 50-35 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs built the lead to 71-51 with 11:30 to go in the game. Jackson cut the lead to 83-73 with 4:00 to go, but could only get one point closer, as SSC won the game by 9 points.

South Suburban freshman continued to shine as guard Tyler Wooten scored a career high 32 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. AJ Abrams and Samar Bures scored 18 points apiece to round out the double figure scorers for SSC. South Suburban shot 34/63 (54%) from the field, 5/11 (45.4%) from behind the “3” point line, and 20/26 (76.9%) from the free throw line. Jackson shot 33/63 (52.4%) from the field, 2/7 (28.6%) from the “3”, and 13/22 (59.1%) from the free throw line. Both teams had 36 rebounds in the game. The Bulldogs improved to 6-1 on the season.

Prairie State College 11/21/24

The #10 Bulldogs got back on the winning track at home with a 93-81 victory over their south suburb rival, Prairie State College. SSC has now won 66 out of their last 67 home games. Prairie State took an early 14-12 lead with 14:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 16-2 run to take a 31-16 lead with 8:30 left to go. They led 47-32 at half time. The Bulldogs built their lead to 20 (their biggest lead of the game) with 16:00 left to go in the game. Prairie State went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 62-51 in 1 minute. However, they would never get any closer to the victory as SSC improved to 5-1 on the season.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by freshman Samar Bures who scored his career high 29 points, while grabbing 5 steals, dishing out 3 assists, and snatching a career high 6 steals. Freshmen guards AJ Abrams and Tyler Wooten scored 16 points, respectively. Abrams grabbed 8 rebounds while dishing out 8 assists and snatching 4 steals. SSC sophomore forward Kuba Senczszyn scored a career high 14 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. South Suburban shot 41/60 (68.3%) from the field, but were only 1/8 (12.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 10/14 (71.4%) from the free throw line. Prairie State shot 32/61 (52.5%) from the field, 9/16 (56.3%) from the “3”, and 8/11 (72.7%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 28-23.

Olive-Harvey College 11/19/24

The Bulldogs fell to #10 in the recent national rankings. SSC’s final game of their first road trip of the season (three games) ended with Olive-Harvey. The Bulldogs were victorious, winning 94-75. It was the third straight win for the Bulldogs. The game started with Olive-Harvey taking an early 22-17 lead with 9:30 to go in the first half. They continued to lead 34-31 with 4:20 left to go. SSC went on a 10-3 run to end the half and entered halftime with a 41-37 lead. The Bulldogs gained their biggest lead at 83-58 with 6:30 to go and never looked back.

South Suburban had three freshmen guards score 20+ points. Tyler Wooten scored a career high 25 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. AJ Abrams recorded his second double-double of the season (23 points and 11 rebounds). Samar Bures scored 20 points while dishing out 5 assists and snatching 3 steals. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore forward Kuba Senczyszyn who scored 10 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. SSC won the rebounding battle 36-23. South Suburban shot 34-57 (59.6%) from the field, only 1-9 (11.1%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 25-30 (83.3%) from the free throw line. Olive-Harvey shot 26-54 (48.1%) from the field, 5/14 (35.7%) from the “3”, and 18-40 (45%) from the free throw line. SSC improved to 4-1 on the season.

Spoon River College 11/16/24

The #9 Bulldogs continued their early season road trip to a place that has not been nice to them in the past. Coach John Pigatti’s teams have never won at Spoon River College. That changed on November 16 as they were victorious 85-66. SSC trailed 13-12 with 10:45 left to go in the first half. They proceeded to go on a 16-1 run and take a 28-14 lead with 5:20 to go. They led 40-31 at halftime. Spoon River went on a 12-3 run to tie the game at 43 with 16:00 to go in the second half. In the next two minutes, SSC out scored Spoon River 13-2 to take a 56-45 lead. SSC got their biggest lead of the game at 79-60 with 2:30 to go in the game and never looked back.

South Suburban had a balanced scoring attack, as 5 players scored in double figures. Freshman Samar Bures led the team in scoring with 16 points while snatching a career high 7 steals. He also dished out 3 assists. Freshman guard Tyler Wooten scored 13 points while grabbing 4 rebounds. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored 12 points and dished out 4 assists. Sophomore forward Kuba Senczyszyn recorded his first double double as he scored 11 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Freshman guard AJ Abrams scored 10 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. SSC won the rebounding battle 42-27. South Suburban shot 33/62 (53.2%) from the field, 3/12 (25%) from behind the “3” point line, and 16/21 (76.2%) from the free throw line. Spoon River shot 19/54 (35.2%) from the field, 5/25 (20%) from the “3”, and 23/34 (67.6%) from the free throw line. SSC improved to 3-1 on the season.

McHenry County College 11/12/24

The Bulldogs dropped to #9 in the latest NJCAA Division II rankings, and they headed out for their first road game of the season. They were victorious at McHenry County College 98-60. The game started out slow with McHenry taking an early 5-2 lead. The game stayed tight as SSC held a 29-27 lead with 6:00 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs closed out the first half on a 12-1 run and took a 41-28 lead into the halftime break. SSC took their biggest lead of the game at 86-44 with 8:00 to go in the game and cruised to the 38-point victory.

South Suburban had a lot of stat fillers for this game. They were led in scoring by freshman guard Tyler Wooten’s career high 29 points, and career high 9 rebounds. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 20 points while grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists and snatching 2 steals. Freshman guard AJ Abrams scored 16 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 8 assists and snatched 3 steals of his own for the Bulldogs. Sophomores Kuba Senczyszyn (10), Taurean Mickens (8), and Pape Ndiaye (7) recorded personal highs in rebounding for SSC. South Suburban shot 40/77 (51.9%) from the field, 7/20 (35%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 11/19 (57.9%) from the free throw line. McHenry County College statistics were not available at the time of this release. South Suburban improved to 2-1 on the season.

Southwestern Michigan College 11/9/24

The #2 Bulldogs had their 65-game home winning streak snapped with a 66-61 defeat to Southwestern Michigan College. Head Coach John Pigatti’s home record falls to 289-16 over the 19 seasons he has been at SSC. The game started tightly as it was tied at 13 with 10:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 12-0 run and took a 25-13 lead with 4:00 left in the half. SSC led 30-16 with 2:30 to go and Southwestern went on an 8-0 run to end the first half. The Bulldogs only led 30-26 at halftime. SSC built the lead to 11 in the second half at 44-33 with 14:00 to go in the game. Southwestern chipped away at the victory and took a 62-61 lead with 1:00 left. The Bulldogs only scored 2 points in the last 6:00 of the game.

SSC was led in scoring by two freshmen: Samar Bures and Tyler Wooten who scored 16 points a piece. The only other double-digit scorer was sophomore guard Taurean Mickes, who chipped in 12 points for the Bulldogs. SSC faced defeat due to excessive fouling. They were whistled for 27 fouls while Southwestern only had 11. SSC scored 8 more baskets and 5 more “3”-point shots than Southwestern. SSC shot 24/60 (40%) from the field, 7/25 (25%) from the “3”, and only 6/13 (46.2%) from the free throw line. Southwestern shot 16/48 (33.3%) from the field, 2/19 (10.5%) from the “3”, but were 32/40 (80%) from the free throw line. Southwestern won the rebounding battle 41/30. The Bulldogs fell to 1-1 on the season.

Calumet College of St. Joseph 11/5/24

The #2 ranked Bulldogs opened their 2024-25 season with a 93-65 victory over the Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) JV team. The victory was SSC’s 65th straight home win. The game started with CCJS taking an early 7-6 lead. SSC went on a 22-3 run and built their lead to 28-10 with 10:00 to go in the first half. They led 47-27 at half time. CCSJ closed the gap to 56-41 with 15:00 left to go in the game. SSC went on a 33-16 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 87-55 with 4:00 left to go. They utilized their bench players for the final 28-point victory.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 27 points. He also dished out 4 assists and snatched 3 steals. Freshman guard AJ Abrams recorded his first career double/double as he scored 24 points while grabbing 15 rebounds. Abrams also dished out 6 assists and snatched 5 steals. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was freshman forward Tyler Wooten who scored 18 points. SSC shot 41/63 (65.1%) from the field, while shooting only 1/9 (11.1%) from behind the “3”-point line. They also shot 10/16 (62.5%) from the free throw line. CCSJ shot 20/41 (48.8%) from the field, 3/14 (21.4%) from the “3”, and 22/27 (81.5%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 43-30. The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the season.