Babers has Big Weekend as Chargers Split Pair of OT Games at Waubonsee Classic

SUGAR GROVE — The Carl Sandburg College men's basketball team pulled off one stunning comeback and came up on the wrong end of another as the Chargers split a pair of overtime games at the Waubonsee Classic on Friday and Saturday.

Sandburg rallied from 10 down in the final 2:10 of regulation on the way to a 91-84 OT win over Joliet on Friday. The Chargers then saw host Waubonsee, ranked No. 14 in NJCAA Division II, whittle away at a 20-point deficit and defeat Sandburg 83-82 in overtime on Saturday.

Sandburg (8-6) trailed 73-63 in the second half Friday against the Wolves before pulling off a remarkable rally that was ignited by Marckell Longstreet's steal-and-basket with 2:05 to go. The Chargers pushed the game to an extra period after Roee Dinnar's 3-pointer with :02.9 left tied the contest at 77. The Chargers never trailed in OT as Dinnar drilled another triple on the opening possession.

Sophomore Jeremiah Babers was the catalyst behind the comeback as he scored a career-high 34 points in the victory. Babers finished 11 of 15 from the field, hit 12 of 16 free throws, handed out five assists and had two steals. The point guard also had just two turnovers in the contest.

Dinnar finished with 21 points off the bench, highlighted by a 5-for-11 showing from long range. The sophomore also went 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, pulled down five rebounds, had four assists and collected two blocks.

Longstreet also reached double figures off the bench, scoring 11 and pulling in five rebounds on 4-of-8 shooting. David Hise had eight points and a team-leading seven rebounds for the Chargers, who had a whopping 79-43 edge on the glass.

All five starters for Joliet scored in double digits, led by Romello Ali's 18 points.

Sandburg appeared poised to collect a big win over nationally ranked Waubonsee on Saturday, but the Chiefs came back after falling behind by as many as 20 points in the first half.

The Chargers led the entire second half before a Chiefs layup at :07.6 tied the game at 72 and force overtime. Babers drained two free throws with :17 left in OT for an 82-81 Sandburg lead, but Waubonsee got the game-winner with :10 left on a layup from David Robinson. Babers' 25-footer as time expired hit off the right side of the rim.

Despite the loss, Babers turned in another stellar performance as he led all players with 27 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He also went 9 of 10 from the line and had eight assists in the loss.

Babers was named to the all-tournament team alongside Longstreet, who went 7 of 10 from the field and scored 16 points off the bench. The sophomore also had six rebounds.

Koen Derry (12 points, 7 rebounds) and HIse (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) also scored in double figures in the loss.

Waubonsee's Fernando Perez had 22 points in the reserve role to lead the Chiefs.

UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
3 p.m. Saturday vs. DuPage

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