Collin College's men's and women's basketball teams are riding a wave of wins into the winter break, setting the stage for conference play beginning with the new year and helping the Cougars crack the Top 10 teams in the nation.
The Collin men's team improved to No. 9 in the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division 1 poll, Dec. 13. The Cougars entered the poll at No. 16, two weeks prior, and improved to No. 13 the following week.
"We have had a great start, but we have to keep our focus and just take it one game at a time," Coach Jim Sigona said. "We have a few weeks off, so we just need to get everyone back healthy and ready to play the next game."
After a strong performance in the Collin County Thanksgiving Classic, the Cougars added three more home wins: 100-71 over East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) junior varsity, 90-75 over Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus, and 66-54 over Dallas College Richland Campus.
Lav Cvetkovic led all scorers in the ETBU game with 18 points and three, three-pointers. He was followed by Alex Stoimenov with 16 points and two treys. Daylen Minor had 14 points and two steals in the game. The Cougars held a comfortable lead but poured on the gas in the second half, outscoring the visiting team by 19 points in that period.
John Achebe led the team with 20 points and five steals against Cedar Valley. He was followed by Isaiah Washington with 18 points and Orion Virden with 15 points. Washington sank four of six three-pointers in the game, and Virden hit five from behind the arc to lead the team in outside shooting.
The Richland game was a bit tighter throughout, but Collin led at the break and pulled away in the final frame. Achebe led in scoring with 18 points, followed by Virden with 14. Washington and Thai Elder rounded out the top scorers with 7 points each. Elder had two blocks and a steal. Achebe had one block and five steals.
The Lady Cougars won their last six games in a row after a short slide to start the season. After defeating nationally-ranked opponents in the Thanksgiving Classic, the team won successive road games against Jacksonville College and Paris Junior College. Those two games were followed by a blowout home win against Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus and a closer home stand against Murray State College.
"After a slow start, we've started to figure out how we need to play to win games," Coach Jeff Allen said. "Beating two Top 25 teams gave us the confidence to know we can play with anyone."
Collin College controlled the flow of the game on its way to a 71-55 win against Jacksonville College, outscoring the Lady Jags in every frame. Leading the way with 17 points was Skye Dugan. She was followed by Anjanae Mueck and Dustie Obah, each with 12 points. Mueck had 10 rebounds and two blocks in the game. Caroline Glud Rasmussen had three blocks in the game to lead that category.
The Lady Cougars' 53-51 road win against Paris Junior College was a bit tighter but served as a measure of revenge for a home loss to the Lady Dragons earlier this season. Dugan led scoring with 11 points, followed by Nikki Green and Ciana Fudzie with 9 points each. Dugan had four steals in the game. Green had three steals. Mueck had three blocks.
Every Collin College player scored in the Lady Cougars' 71-29 win over Cedar Valley. Adamari Waddell led all scorers with 15 points, followed by Green with 13 points, then Dugan and Fudzie with 10 points each. Rasmussen led steals with four, and Mueck had four blocks.
Collin College came roaring back in the third quarter of its 68-65 win over Murray State to overcome an early game deficit. Dugan and Mueck each had 17 points to lead scoring for the Lady Cougars. Green had 15 to round out the top scorers. Mueck had nine blocks and three steals in the game.
The women's team plays Jacksonville College at home, Monday Jan. 3, before kicking off conference play two days later against Cisco College. The Lady Cougars host Cisco College on Wednesday, Jan. 5 with tipoff at 5 p.m.
The men's team returns to the court against Dallas Christian at home, Wednesday, Jan. 5. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. The team's first conference game of the new year is against Southwestern Christian College, Saturday, Jan. 8, beginning at 4 p.m.
Admission to home games is free for Collin College students, faculty, and staff and just $3 for all others. Games are also streamed live to the Collin College Athletics Facebook page.