Chargers Fall Short of Conference Title With Road Loss to Kougars

MALTA — The Carl Sandburg College men's basketball went into its final Arrowhead Conference game with a chance to clinch the league title, but the Chargers were stopped by host Kishwaukee 85-65 on Tuesday night.

Sandburg (14-14, 3-3) needed a win or an Illinois Valley loss at Black Hawk to grab its first Arrowhead championship since 2018, but the Chargers' loss, coupled with the Eagles' win at Black Hawk, gave Illinois Valley the league crown to itself.

The Chargers trailed 36-28 at halftime, and the Kougars pulled away in the second half, outscoring Sandburg 49-37.

Ethan Price led the Chargers in scoring and rebounding, totaling 16 points and eight boards on 7-of-12 shooting. Price also finished 2 for 3 from 3-point range and has gone for double digits in three of his last four games.

Koen Derry had 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting and collected five blocks for Sandburg. Jeremiah Babers had 13 points and a team-best five assists in the loss. Babers now ranks third in the country with 177 assists on the season, and his 6.3 assists per game are good for eighth nationally.

Kishwaukee was led by Joshua Bocher's 31 points and 20 rebounds. Jalen Smith had a triple-double for the Kougars, putting up 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
3 p.m. Saturday vs. Morton. The Chargers will have Sophomore Day festivities prior to the contest as they honor second-year players Jeremiah Babers, David Hise, Aimery Jackson, Roee Dinnar, Tyrese Grose and Koen Derry. 

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