DANVILLE — The Danville Area Community College men’s basketball team started the new year like they finished the old one.
By winning.
The Jaguars won their 10th straight game on Saturday in defeating Rend Lake 76-66 at Mary Miller Gym in their Mid-West Athletic Conference opener.
While the team is not playing at its best, DACC coach DaJuan Gouard said it is great to see the constant success.
“The smile on my face is that I know that we are not playing our best basketball We are still figuring out how to win games and that’s a good problem to have,” Gouard said. “I think we are playing some great basketball but we are not at our full potential. I like where we are now, but I am glad that we have some growing to do.”
The Jaguars led at halftime 33-26 with a defense that held the Warriors to 22 percent shooting in the first half and an offense that shot 45 percent.
But in the second half, the Warriors dug into the Jaguars’ lead and shot 46 percent from the field. DACC was able to still have a comfortable lead throughout, but
“In the beginning, we were trying to get open and made shots and we held them to 26 in the first half,” sophomore guard Elijah Stark said. “In the second, we were lackadaisical, but we came back and conquered where we were supposed to conquer.”
“We shot a solid percentage but with 19 turnovers, we left a lot of possessions on the floor and they were hungrier and scrappier than us when we got the lead to 20 points,” Gouard said. “We took our foot off the gas and tried to coast to a win. You can’t do that with this team and no other team in the league.”
Stark would have a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for DACC, with Antoine Franklin getting 12 points, Jerimiah Poniewaz had 11 points and three assists, Jordan Dickson and Keyton Barnes each had nine, Jeremy Wilson had six points and nine rebounds, DeShawn Clark had six points and six rebounds and Blake Reed had six points.
“Elijah had to step up for us. We had a guy or two who wasn’t ready to go today and he was able to play at a high level,” Gouard said. “He did a good job matching up with their bigs and guarded 1-5 and was big for us in many areas. Antoine started a lot for us last year. He is a veteran and understands the league and me, the program. He was injured and it is a joy having him back because he does a lot of things for us.”
While it was the first game of the new year for the Jaguars, Stark said the team didn’t just rest through winter break.
“Our break was kind of weird because we had three days off and we were back to it,” Stark said. “With our team this year, we have a lot of guys who want to be in the gym and get better and work on their craft, so we were eager to get back and G (Gouard) did not spare us. He challenges us every second. He makes practice like it was a game and sometimes it is harder than a game, so when we play the game, it comes easy to us.
“We have to keep everything going. Last year, we didn’t have a connecting bond with each other, so this year we are really big on being together and striving for each other and not just for one person.”
The Jaguars are 11-1 and is No. 18 in the NJCAA Division II Rankings going into the meat of the Mid-West Athletic Conference season, which has two other teams (No. 5 Parkland College and No. 19 Illinois Central College) that are ranked.
“Our league has eight teams and three of us ins in the top 18 in the country and Rend Lake was receiving votes, so four of our teams are in the top 30,” Gouard said. “There will not be an easy night and it will be a grind all season. I have to get our guys to understand that and keep going every moment.”
“Like Coach G said, we have three teams in the Top 25 and there is no easy games, but he prepares us in practices,” Stark said. “Playing on Danville’s floor is a championship floor, so we have to be prepared to come with it. You can’t take any teams lightly because on any given night, they can beat you, so we have to stay on our toes.”
The Jaguars will host Lincoln Land Community College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The DACC women’s team had a different result in their MWAC opener earlier on Saturday, losing to Lake Land College 84-49.
DACC coach Kyle Bent said that injuries have been one of the keys for team’s four-game losing streak.
“Our two point guards didn’t play, so we had to bring Aleah (Emers) in this week to be a point guard,” Bent said. “(Alexa) Jamison starts at point for us and is out with a knee bruise. She was consistent with a few 30-point games this season. Chi (Igwe) sat for a game for team rules and she was our backup. So you had both of them out and we had to find someone else. It was not her fault and we put a lot on her shoulders. We lacked continuity, but when you are missing point guards, it is tough.”
Even with the losing streak, Bent said the return of players like Jamison — along with building up some continuity — can give the Lady Jaguars time to switch their 5-9 record around.
“We have Kortney Bynum back and we had eight players with experience, so there is time to catchup to get some flow,” Bent said. “This year is tough because of the injuries and the continuity, so anytime you come back from break and play a perennial Division II program, you are going to have struggles.
“We are better than what we showed today, We battled frustration and feeling sorry for ourselves, so we are not mentally tough now. If we get a couple of kids, then fine and we can move forward, but attention to detail is struggling. You have to go out and play, but you have to execute and be a student of the game and we are coming up short in that realm.”
The Lady Jaguars will host Kaskaskia Community College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.