Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College men's basketball team maintained their unbeaten streak with a strong defensive performance against Millikin University, securing a 65-53 victory on Wednesday at Sherman Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Illinois. This win marks the Blueboys' fifth consecutive triumph, advancing their record to 5-0 while Millikin falls to 1-2.

In the first half, Illinois College limited Millikin to just 16 points and held a lead of up to 14 points at one stage. By halftime, the Blueboys were ahead with a score of 27-16. The second half saw Illinois College extend their advantage significantly, reaching a peak lead of 49-22 with over eleven minutes remaining in the game.

Josh Harris was the top scorer for Illinois College with 16 points. He was supported by Austin Robinson who contributed 12 points, while Buzz Ritzel and Jaylen Swinney each added ten points. Swinney also led in rebounds with twelve, and Javonte McKenzie provided additional support with eight rebounds.

The Blueboys have been on an impressive run, winning 37 out of their last 42 games and maintaining a dominant non-conference regular season record of 21 wins out of the last 22 games. Ritzel is nearing a career milestone with 936 points, closely followed by Harris who has accumulated 921 points as they both aim for the prestigious mark of 1,000 career points at Illinois College.

Looking ahead, Illinois College will host the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday at Sherman Gymnasium before taking a break for Thanksgiving. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.