Sangamon Sun

Seniors Buzz Ritzel and Josh Harris led the Illinois College men's basketball team to a 70-60 victory over Webster in their season opener on Friday at Grant Gymnasium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blueboys never trailed during the game, establishing a strong lead early on.

The team surged ahead by as much as 15 points on three occasions in the first half, with the last instance occurring at the 5:32 mark when Nick Doroskin scored a jumper to make it 31-16. Despite Webster's efforts to close the gap, Illinois College maintained a lead of 35-28 going into halftime.

Webster narrowed the deficit to three points early in the second half, but Illinois College responded with an 11-0 run, extending their lead back to 15 points following a layup by Harris. The Gorlocks managed to reduce the difference to seven points later in the game, but Illinois College secured their first win of the season.

Ritzel was the top scorer with 26 points, including four three-pointers and six rebounds. Harris contributed 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Marcus Coleman provided four assists for Illinois College.

Illinois College has won 33 of its last 38 games and continues its season with an upcoming non-conference match against Blackburn on Monday in Carlinville, Illinois. The game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.