Men’s Basketball Recaps

Milwaukee Area Technical College 03/08/25

The Bulldogs lost their quest to return to the NJCAA Division II National Championship tournament as they fell to Milwaukee Area Tech in the Region IV Midwest District B championship game 85-74. SSC has been to the National Championship tournament 13 times during Coach John Pigatti’s 19 seasons at the helm. SSC held a 41-35 lead at halftime. They could not put together 2 halves of good defensive basketball as they gave up 50 points in the second half to lose their chance to be region champs.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 27 points. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored 19 points. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 11 points to round out the double figure scorers for the Bulldogs. South Suburban shot 29/71 (40.8%) from the field, 7/23 (30.4%) from behind the 3-point line, and 9/12 (75%) from the free throw line. Milwaukee Area Tech shot 29/54 (53.7%) from the field, 7/17 (41.2%) from the “3”, and 20/25 (80%) from the free throw line. Milwaukee Area Tech won the rebounding battle 35-32. The Bulldogs finished the 2024-25 season with a 22-11 record.

Madison College 03/02/25

The #3 seeded SSC Men’s Basketball Team (22-10) defeated Madison College 91-86 in the NJCAA Region IV (Midwest District B) semi-final game. The Bulldogs started the game out on fire as they opened on a 15-2 lead with 15:20 left in the first half. After a 18-6 run by Madison, they closed the gap to 21-20 with 8:00 to go. Madison took their first lead of the game at 31-30 with 3:30 left in the half. South Suburban took a 43-38 lead into the halftime break. Madison got as close as 61-59 with 9:00 left in the game. SSC went on a 21-11 run and took their biggest lead of the half at 82-70 with 3:00 to go. The Bulldogs never looked back.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ career high 34 points. He also recorded a double-double as he grabbed 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 19 points while dishing out 9 assists. Freshman guard Ty Wooten scored 11 points, as well, for SSC. South Suburban shot 33/59 (55.9%) from the field, 4/12 (33.3%) from behind the 3-point line, and 21/27 (77.8%) from the free throw line. Madison shot 32/69 (46.4%) from the field, 10/25 (40%) from the “3”, and 12/21 (57.1%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 36-34.

Prairie State College 02/27/25

The #25 Bulldogs (21-10) defeated Prairie State in the quarterfinal round of the NJCAA Region IV (Midwest District B) Tournament. The final score was 88-58. SSC jumped out early on their archrivals as they took a 22-7 lead with 13:30 left in the first half. The Bulldogs held their biggest lead of the half at 31-15 with 8:11 to go. Prairie State closed the gap to 45-23 at halftime. The first 10 minutes of the second half told the story for the game. SSC went on a 25-8 run and led 70-41. The Bulldogs got their lead to 86-55 with 3:50 to go and never looked back. They only gave up 25 points to Prairie State in the second half (which was their lowest defensive effort of the season). They held a team to under 60 points for the first time this season.

All 5 starters scored in double figures, led by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 20 points. He also dished out 6 assists. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 19 points and dished out 7 assists. Sophomore center Kuba Senczyszyn had a double-double as he scored 13 points while grabbing 15 rebounds. Freshman guards Tanner Fields (11 points) and Tyler Wooten (10 points) rounded out the double figure scorers. South Suburban shot 38/73 (52.1%) from the field, 5/18 (27.8%) from behind the 3-point line, and 7/11 (63.6%) from the free throw line. Prairie State shot 25/64 (39.1%) from the field, 2/13 (15.4%) from the “3”, and 6/11 (54.5%) from the free throw line. South Suburban won the rebounding battle 44-32

Kishwaukee College 02/22/25

The #24 South Suburban College Bulldogs (20-10) won their 20th game of the season 82-66 at Kishwaukee College. SSC Head Coach John Pigatti has won 20+ games in all 19 seasons that he has been the head coach for the Bulldogs. His career record is 543-104 (.84). SSC jumped out early to a 5-0 lead with 18:00 left in the first half. Kishwaukee took their biggest lead of the game at 24-21 with 5:40 to go. The Bulldogs led at halftime 33-30. SSC opened up the second half on a 30-11 run and took their biggest lead of the game at 63-41 with 9:30 left in the game. Kishwaukee went on a 10-0 run of their own, cutting the lead to 63-51 with 7:30 to go, but they did not get any closer to the victory.

All five starters for the Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 18 points. Sophomore center Kuba Senczyszyn recorded a double-double as he scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The other double-digit scorers were freshman guards Tyler Wooten (16 points), while Samar Bures and Tanner Fields scored 11 points apiece. South Suburban shot 29/74 (39.2%) from the field, 3/17 (17.6%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 21/27 (77.8%) from the free throw line. Kishwaukee shot 24/72 (33.3%) from the field, 3/18 (16.6%) from the “3”, and 15/18 (83.3%) from the free throw line.

Rock Valley College 02/18/25

The Bulldogs played themselves in and out of the NJCAA Division II Top 25 poll. They were ranked #24 in the latest poll, and then proceeded to lose in overtime at Rock Valley College 93-89. Rock Valley opened strong, taking an early 11-2 lead with 13:50 left in the first half. South Suburban took a 32-28 lead with 2:00 to go. Rock Valley closed the half on a 7-2 run, taking a slim 35-34 lead into the halftime break. SSC gained their biggest lead of the game at 57-52 with 9:00 to go in the game. Rock Valley led 72-70 with 1:30 left. After two costly turnovers by the Bulldogs, freshman guard Samar Bures saved the game in regulation as he made two “3” point baskets in the last 15 second to tie the game at 76 and force overtime. SSC lead 85-83 with 2:00 to go, but never got the lead back as they fell to 19-10 on the season.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 26 points. He recorded a double/double, grabbing 11 rebounds. Bures scored 24 points. Two other freshmen guards scored in double figures: Ty Wooten (14 points) and Tanner Fields (10 points). South Suburban shot 34/74 (45.9%) from the field, 4/13 (30.8%) from the “3”, and 17/26 (65.4%) from the free throw line. Rock Valley shot 29/64 (45.3%) from the field, 8/26 (30.8%) from the “3”, and 27/32 (84.4%) from the free throw line. Rock Valley won the rebounding battle 41-40.

College of DuPage 02/13/25

It was Sophomore Night and SSC honored the 7 sophomores on the 2024-’25 team: Derome White, Kuba Senczyszyn, Taurean Mickens, DJ Moss, Roberto Guida, James Morgan, and Pape N’Diaye. The opponent was the College of DuPage, and the Bulldogs were victorious 78-69, improving to 19-9 on the season. They also ended their regular season home schedule with a 12-4 record. The victory was Coach John Pigatt’s 300th home victory during his 19 seasons at SSC. His home record is 300-19 (.94).

The game started tight as the score was tied at 18 with 6:30 to go in the first half. SSC closed out the half on a 17-7 run and led 35-25 at halftime. The Bulldogs opened up the second half on a 19-8 run and took their biggest lead at 54-33 with 13:00 left in the game. DuPage then went on an 11-0 run of their own and closed the gap to 54-44 with 11:20 to go. SSC built the lead back up to 61-46 with 9:50 left. DuPage then went on an 11-2 run and cut the lead to six at 63-57 with 7:42 to go. SSC then went on a 15-6 run and took a 78-63 lead with 1:30 left. The Bulldogs never looked back.

South Suburban was led in scoring by freshmen: AJ Abrams (20 points) and Samar Bures (16 points). 2 sophomores scored in double figures: Senczyszyn and Mickens scored 11 points apiece. Senczyszyn recorded a double-double as he grabbed 13 rebounds. Bures dished out 7 assists. South Suburban shot 32/64 (50%) from the field, 7/16 (43.8%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 7/8 (87.5%) from the free throw line. DuPage shot 25/65 (38.5%) from the field, 2/23 (17.4%) from the “3”, and 15/22 (68.2%) from the free throw line.

Madison College 02/11/25

The Bulldogs traveled to #21 Madison College for a key Region IV matchup. For the second time in a week, SSC defeated a top 25 team as they were victorious 78-64. Madison jumped out early to a 6-0 lead with 16:30 left in the first half. SSC then went on a 10-0 run and took a 10-6 lead with 14:00 to go. Madison held a 1-point lead at 29-28 with 2:30 left. SSC closed the half on an 11-0 run and took a 39-29 lead into the halftime break. Madison would get no closer than 60-52 with 7:20 left in the game. SSC took their biggest lead at 76-61 with 1:00 remaining. The victory improved SSC’s record to 18-9 on the season.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 20 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 17 points while grabbing 7 rebounds of his own. The only other double-digit scorer for SSC was freshman guard Tyler Wooten who scored 15 points. South Suburban shot 32/67 (47.8%) from the field, 5/15 (33.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 9/13 (69.2%) from the free throw line. Madison shot 21/60 (35%) from the field, 4/13 (30.8%) from the “3”, and 18/28 (64.3%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 46-38.

Joliet Junior College 02/08/25

The Bulldogs did not show up against the top ranked #4 in the NJCAA Division 3 poll, Joliet Junior College. SSC was defeated 91-70. The Bulldogs had a 20-15 lead with 10:00 to go in the first half. They trailed 43-37 at halftime. The second half was disastrous for the Bulldogs as Joliet dominated them 48-33 in that half for the 21-point victory.

SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Taurean Mickens’ 19 points. Freshman guards AJ Abrams and Samar Bures rounded out the double figure scorers with 14 and 10 points respectfully. South Suburban shot 30/64 (47%) from the field, 5/15 (33.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and only 5-9 (56%) from the free throw line. Joliet shot 34/65 (52%) from the field, 5/9 (56%) from the “3”, and 18/21 (86%) from the free throw line. Joliet dominated the Bulldogs on the glass winning the rebound battle 44-22. SSC fell to 17-9 on the season.

Kankakee Community College 02/06/25

The NJCAA DII Bulldogs traveled to NJCAA DI Kankakee. SSC led for 25 minutes in the game, but eventually lost 91-83. SSC opened up a 10-point lead at 43-33 with 1:20 left in the first half. They eventually led 43-35 at halftime. Kankakee opened the second half on a 16-8 run and tied the game at 53 with 15:00 to go. The game stayed tied at 57 with 12:10 left. Kankakee went on a 11-4 run and took a 68-61 lead with 9:40 to go. SSC then went on a 10-5 run of their own and cut the lead to 73-71 with 7:00 left. The Bulldogs were unable to get closer, and fell to 17-8 on the season.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 27 points. He also snatched 3 steals. Sophomore center Kuba Senczyszyn scored 15 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. Two other Bulldogs scored in double figures: freshman guard Tanner Fields and sophomore guard James Morgan scored 10 points a piece. South Suburban shot 28/58 (48.3%) from the field, 6/15 (40%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 21-26 (80.8%) from the free throw line. Kankakee shot 31/60 (51.7%) from the field, 3/5 (60.0%) from the “3”, and 26/40 (65%) from the free throw line. Kankakee won the rebounding battle 35-31.

Bryant & Stratton College (WI) 02/04/25

The Bulldogs upset #18 Bryant & Stratton (WI) 83-79 in an exciting NJCAA Region IV contest. Bryant & Stratton, who came into the game 21-4, and riding a 14-game winning streak, led early 21-17 with 8:30 to go in the first half. SSC took a 35-30 lead with 2:50 to go and did not score the rest of the half. Bryant & Stratton led 38-35 at halftime. SSC grew their lead to 9 at 74-65 with 5:30 to go in the game. Bryant & Stratton tied the game at 78 with :26 to go. SSC freshman guard AJ Abrams scored on a driving lay-up and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to give SSC an 81-78 lead with :11 to go. SSC sophomore guard Taurean Mickens completed the Bulldog scoring with 2 made free throws with :08 left. SSC improved to 17-7 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by Abrams’ 28 points. He also recorded a double-double as he grabbed 13 rebounds. Abrams also dished out 7 assists, snatched 4 steals and blocked 2 shots. Fellow freshmen Samar Bures (18 pts.) and Tyler Wooten (10 pts.) rounded out the double-digit freshmen scorers. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored 16 points. South Suburban shot 33/62 (53.2%) from the field, 4/9 (44/4%) from behind the “3” point line, and 13/20 (65%) from the free throw line. Bryant & Stratton (WI) shot 21/48 (43.8%) from the field, 6/13 (46.2%) from the “3”, and 31/40 (77.5%) from the free throw line. SSC narrowly won the rebounding battle 34-33.

The Bosco Institute (IN) 01/31/25

The Bulldogs won a hard fought 79-75 battle over The Bosco Institute to improve to 16-7 on the season. The game started with Bosco taking an early 6-1 lead. SSC then built their lead to double digits at 35-21 with 5:50 to go in the first half. SSC led at halftime 41-31. The Bulldogs built the lead to 64-49 with 7:40 to go in the game. Bosco then chipped away at the lead for the final 4-point margin.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard Tanner Fields’ career high 20 points. He also grabbed 6 rebounds. Freshman guard AJ Abrams recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He also dished out 6 assists and snatched 6 steals. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens was the only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs as he chipped in 12 points. South Suburban shot 28/68 (41.2%) from the field, 6/19 (31.6%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 17/23 (73.9%) from the free throw line. Bosco shot 25/51 (47.1%) from the field, 4/21 (19%) from the “3”, and 23/30 (76.7%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 39-37.

Milwaukee Area Technical College 01/28/25

It was a battle of two teams that have won the NJCAA Division II National Championship two out of the last three years. Milwaukee came to South Holland to participate in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer and Spirit Night Game. The play was highly competitive. In the end, SSC prevailed 97-93. The game was tied early at 23 with 9:50 left in the first half. Milwaukee went on an 11-4 run and took their biggest lead of the game at 34-27 with 6:31 to go. SSC closed the gap to 1 at halftime 45-44. Milwaukee extended the lead to 52-46 with 18:00 to go in the game. From there, it was a game of back and forth runs. SSC went on a 14-5 run and took a 60-57 lead with 13:00 left. Milwaukee then went on an 12-4 run and took the lead back at 69-64 with 9:00 to go. SSC then went on a 9-2 run and took a 73-71 lead with 7:00 to go. Milwaukee then tied the game at 77 with 4:50 left. SSC then got their biggest lead of the game at 5 points with 1:18 to go. SSC sophomore guard Taurean Mickens proceeded to make 6 straight free throws in the final minute of play to hold off Milwaukee. The game ended up having 8 lead changes and 8 ties. South Suburban improved to 15-7 on the season. They have now won 5 straight games.

South Suburban was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams who scored a career high 30 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 22 points, Mickens scored 13 points, freshman guard Tyler Wooten scored 11 points, and sophomore forward DJ Moss scored 10 points. The Bulldogs shot 37/75 (49.3%) from the field, 3/15 (20%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 20/29 (69%) from the free throw line. Milwaukee shot 30/66 (45.5%) from the field, 5/25 (20%) from the “3”, and 28/40 (70%) from the free throw line. Milwaukee won the rebounding battle 46-35.

Black Hawk College 01/25/25

The Bulldogs headed on the road for a tough NJCAA Region IV opponent, Black Hawk College. The host held a 16-11 lead with 12:30 to go in the first half. SSC finally tied the game at 18 with 8:40 to go. They took a 42-35 lead into the half time break. SSC opened the first 10:00 of the second half on a 22-12 run and held a 64-47 lead. They held a double-digit lead at 78-64 with 4:00 left. Things got hairy from there. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 4 straight times, Black Hawk cut the lead to 78-76 with :30 to go, and they had possession of the ball. After a defensive stop by SSC and 4 made free throws, the Bulldogs survived for the victory to improve their record to 14-7 on the season.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 27 points. He also recorded a double-double as he dished out 12 assists and snatched 3 steals. Sophomore guard James Morgan recorded a double-double of his own as he scored 14 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. The only other double-digit scorer for SSC was freshman guard Tanner Fields, who scored 13 points and dished out 5 assists. South Suburban shot 30/49 (61.2%) from the field, 8/16 (50%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 14/16 (87.5%) from the free throw line. Black Hawk does not have statistics at the game, so their numbers are not known.

Harper College 01/23/25

The Bulldogs improved to 13-7 on the year with an 88-65 victory over visiting Harper College. SSC opened up an early 21-8 lead with 12:00 to go in the first half. They built the lead to 15 at 33-18 with 5:00 to go. Harper went on a 12-5 run to end the half and SSC led 38-30 at the break. South Suburban opened the first 10 minutes of the second half with a 27-18 run and took a 65-48 lead. The 23-point margin of victory was the largest of the game.

South Suburban was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 25 points. He also dished out 9 assists, grabbed 8 rebounds, and snatched 5 steals. Sophomore guard James Morgan scored 15 points while grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and snatching 4 steals. Freshman guard Tanner Fields scored 12 points. Two other players scored in double figures; sophomore forward Kuba Senczyszyn and freshman guard AJ Abrams scored 10 points apiece. Abrams grabbed 7 rebounds, dished 8 assists, and snatched 5 steals. SSC won the rebounding battle 40-31. South Suburban shot 35/64 (54.7%) from the field, 7/18 (38.9%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 11/15 (73.3%) from the free throw line. Harper shot 26/45 (57.8%) from the field, 6/11 (33.3%) from the “3”, and 11/18 (61/1%) from the free throw line.

Blackhawk Technical College 01/18/25

The Bulldogs headed on the road to play a new opponent: Blackhawk Tech. They are a new program that just joined the NJCAA Region IV. It was a hard-fought game, but SSC prevailed 88-79. Blackhawk Tech took an early 15-5 lead with 13:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 12-2 run and tied the game at 17 with 8:30 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs went into the halftime break with a 33-30 lead. The second half can be defined as one of scoring runs. Blackhawk Tech took a 42-41 lead with 14:30 to go in the game. SSC went on a 14-4 run and took a 55-46 lead with 9:22 to go. SSC led by 9 at 63-54 with 7:15 left in the game. However, Blackhawk Tech scored 7 points in 1 minute and closed the gap to 63-61 with 6:20 to go. SSC then went on an 11-3 run and took a 74-64 lead with 4:40 left in the game. The teams then traded baskets the rest of the way for the 9-point Bulldog victory. SSC improved to 12-7 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 18 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. Sophomore guard James Morgan scored a career high 17 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. He also dished out 4 assists. 3 other Bulldogs scored in double figures: Sophomore forward DJ Moss (16 points), freshmen guard Samar Bures (13 points), and freshmen guard Tyler Wooten (10 points). South Suburban shot 35/62 (56.5%) from the field, 3/14 (21.4%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 15/18 (83%) from the free throw line. Blackhawk Tech shot 29/53 (54.7%) from the field, 5/17 (29.4%) from the “3”. and 16/20 (80%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 39-27.

Illinois Valley Community College 01/11/25

The Bulldogs won their first game of 2025 and broke a 4-game losing streak (the longest ever during Coach John Pigatti’s 19 years at the school). They defeated visiting Illinois Valley 85-73 to improve to 11-7 on the season. SSC opened up a 17-8 lead with 15:00 left in the first half. Illinois Valley closed the gap to 26-23 with 8:10 to go. The Bulldogs went on a 17-67 run to close the half and led 43-30 at halftime. SSC freshman guard Tanner Fields opened up the second half with a “3”-point basket and the Bulldogs had their biggest lead of the game at 46-30. Illinois Valley went on a 15-4 run and closed the gap to 50-45 with 14:20 to go in the game. Illinois Valley kept the game within striking distance and trailed 75-68 with 4:00 to go, but could not get any closer.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by 5’9 freshman guard Samar Bures’ 22 points. He also grabbed a game high 11 rebounds. Fellow freshmen: Fields and AJ Abrams scored 16 points apiece to round out the double figure scorers for SSC. Sophomore center Kuba Senczyszyn grabbed 10 rebounds as SSC won the rebounding battle 39-35. South Suburban shot 29/57 (50.9%) from the field, 7/18 (38.9%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 20/32 (62.5%) from the free throw line. Illinois Valley shot 25/53 (47.2%) from the field, 4/15 (26.7%) from the “3”, and 19/28 (67.9%) from the free throw line.

Kalamazoo (MI) Valley Community College 01/07/25

The Bulldogs continued their stretch of playing nationally ranked teams when #10 Kalamazoo Valley came to SSC. The Bulldogs fought back from an insurmountable lead and were defeated 97-86. It was their 4th straight loss and 4th at home this season. SSC has now lost 6 out of its last 7 games. It is the worse stretch in Coach Pigatti’s tenure (19 seasons) at the school. They also remained winless in 2025 as they lost 3 straight games to top 10 teams. The game started out well for SSC. They led 32-31 with 7:40 left to go in the first half. Kalamazoo Valley closed the half on a 24-7 run and took a 55-39 lead into the halftime break. The second half did not start out well for the Bulldogs. Kalamazoo Valley took their biggest lead of the game at 81-55 with 9:00 left in the game. SSC proceeded to snatch 6 straight steals and cut the lead to 81-68 with 7:15 to go. SSC got as close as 88-79 with 3:00 left in the game but could not manage enough defensive stops down the stretch to close the gap. The Bulldogs fell to 10-7 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 26 pts. He also grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and snatched 6 steals. Freshman guard AJ Abrams scored 21 points, dished out 4 assists, grabbed 8 rebounds, and snatched 8 steals to fill the stat sheet for SSC. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore center Kuba Senczyszyn who scored 15 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. South Suburban shot 31-66 (47%) from the field, a chilly 2/13 (15.4%) from behind the 3-point line, and 22-30 (73.3%) from the free throw line. Kalamazoo Valley shot 33-51 (64.7%) from the field, 6/11 (54.5%) from the “3”, and 25/38 (65.8%) from the free throw line. Kalamazoo Valley won the rebounding battle 40-37.

St. Clair County Community College 01/04/25

The Bulldogs played another top 10 team in the second game of the St. Clair County Community College New Years Classic. They played the host school, #8 St. Clair County. St. Clair took the lead early and jumped out to a 10-point lead with 10:54 left in the first half. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 31-27 at halftime. The game stayed close in the second half. St. Clair never took more than a 6-point lead. SSC had several chances to take the lead but could not complete the lay-ups and open shots needed to pull in front. At the end, St. Clair was victorious 70-64. SSC fell to 10-6 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring for the second straight night by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 16 points. 3 other Bulldogs scored in double figures: freshmen AJ Abrams and Tyler Wooten (12 pts.), while sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored 11 pts. SSC shot 24/57 (42.1%) from the field, 5/16 (31.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 11/14 (78.6%) from the free throw line. St. Clair County shot 23/53 (43.4%) from the field, 2/10 (20%) from the “3”, and 22/27 (81.5%) from the free throw line. St. Clair out rebounded the Bulldogs 38-25.

Macomb Community College 01/03/25

The Bulldogs opened up 2025 at a nationally ranked tourney. Their first game was against #4 Macomb. The Bulldogs started strong and held a 33-30 lead at halftime. They extended the lead to 5 with 19:00 to go in the game. However, the lead would seesaw back and forth (there were 14 lead changes), and in the end, Macomb was too much for the Bulldogs and they were victorious 70-60. SSC fell to 10-5 on the season.

South Suburban was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 21 points. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens was the only other Bulldog to score in double figures with 16 pts. Macomb dominated the Bulldogs on the glass 52-30. South Suburban shot 27/70 (34.3%) from the field, 4/16 (25%) from behind the “3” point line, and 8/12 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Macomb shot 27/67 (40.3%) from the field, 4/15 (26.7%) from the “3”, and 12/18 (66/7%) from the free throw line.

Waubonsee Community College 12/21/24

The #13 Bulldogs lost their 3rd home game of the season and dropped to 6-3 at home. Coach John Pigatti (whose home record is now 294-18 in 19 seasons at SSC) has never lost 3 games at home during a season. The Bulldogs fell to #23 Waubonsee 90-82. The loss also dropped SSC to 10-4 on the year. Waubonsee opened up a 32-18 lead with 7:30 to go in the first half and led 49-36 at halftime. However, the Bulldogs did not back down. They pulled to within 3 points on several occasions. The last being at 69-66 with 7:20 to go in the game. Waubonsee opened up a double-digit lead late. After several “3” point baskets by the Bulldogs, the game ended with the 8-point margin.

South Suburban was led in scoring by sophomore guard Taurean Mickens’ 20 points. He also snatched 5 steals. Three other Bulldogs scored in double figures: freshmen guards Tanner Fields (17 pts.), Samar Bures (16 pts.), and sophomore forward DJ Moss (10 pts.). The Bulldogs shot 32/78 (41%) from the field, 10/21 (47.6%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 8/16 (50%) from the free throw line. Waubonsee shot 29/58 (50%) from the field, 3/11 (27.3%) from the “3”, and 29/36 (80.6%) from the free throw line. SSC was whistled for 26 fouls as opposed to Waubonsee’s 18.

Oakland Community College 12/19/24

The #13 Bulldogs were riding the first 2 game losing streak in quite a while. However, in their nationally ranked game against #25 Oakland Community College, they got back on the winning path with an exciting 84-82 victory. SSC led 19-9 with 10:00 to go in the first half. They took their biggest lead of the first half at 40-24 with 4:00 left. The Bulldogs went into the halftime break with a 49-35 lead. They came out strong in the second half and built their biggest lead of the game at 53-35 with 18:00 left to go in the game. Oakland proved why they are nationally ranked as they went on a 36-15 run and took a 71-68 lead with 5:21 left in the game. SSC freshman guard Tanner Fields made a “3”-point basket to tie the game at 72 with 4:20 to go. Oakland grabbed the lead back and took an 81-79 lead with :40 left. That’s when SSC sophomore guard Taurean Mickens saved the day. He made a “3” point basket with :17 to go to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 82-81. SSC improved to 10-3 on the season.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Taurean Mickens’ 14 points. Four other Bulldogs scored in double figures. Demetrius Moss scored 12 points and had 9 rebounds. 10 points apiece were scored by Kuba Senczyszyn, Tanner Fields, and Samar Bures. SSC shot 34/64 (53.1%) from the field, 6/16 (42.9%) from the “3”, and 10/16 (62.5%) from the free throw line. Oakland shot 29/59 (49.2%) from the field, 7/26 (26.9%) from the “3”, and 16/26 (61.5%) from the free throw line. Oakland won the rebounding battle 36-34.

Grand Rapids Community College 12/16/24

The #13 Bulldogs suffered their worst and most embarrassing loss of Coach John Pigatti’s tenure (in 19 seasons) at SSC as they fell behind by 28 points in the first half and never recovered in a 99-82 loss. SSC fell to 9-3 on the season. They have now lost 2 games in a row. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by freshman guard Tanner Fields’ 17 points. Three other Bulldogs scored in double figures: Samar Bures (15 pts.), AJ Abrams (12 pts.), and Kuba Senczyszyn (11 pts.). SSC shot 33/63 (52.4%) from the field, 7/10 (70%) from behind the “3” point line, and 9/16 (56.3%) from the free throw line. Grand Rapids shot a sizzling 33/54 (61.1%) from the field, 9/16 (56.3%) from the “3”, and a perfect 24/24 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 33-30.

Danville Area Community College 12/14/24

The #8 Bulldogs lost a tough one on the road after blowing an 8-point lead with 3:32 to go in the game. The Bulldogs lost in overtime to Danville Area Community College 89-86. Danville jumped out early and took a 10-5 lead with 14:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 23-8 run and took their biggest lead of the game at 28-18 with 7:30 to go. Danville closed the first half on a 22-10 run and took a slim 40-38 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 20-10 run and took a 58-50 lead with 2:00 to go in the game. They continued to lead 75-67 with 3:32 to go. However, after several Bulldog miscues, Danville tied the game at 79 with :20 to go. SSC was at the free throw line with :20 to go, but missed both free throws that would have given them the lead, and the game went into overtime tied at 79. Danville jumped out to an 85-79 lead in OT. SSC went on a 7-0 run and led 86-85 with :20 to go. Danville scored on a South Suburban defensive error. The Bulldogs had the ball on the sideline with :06 to go, down 87-86. SSC turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, and Danville scored to take a 3-point lead with 2.1 seconds to go. South Suburban ran a full court set play to get a good “3”-point chance, but the shot rimmed in and out, and the Bulldogs fell to 9-2 on the season.

SSC had 4 players score in double figures, led by freshman guard Tyler Wooten’s 23 points and 6 rebounds. Freshmen guards AJ Abrams and Samar Bures scored 18 points apiece. They both also grabbed 7 rebounds. Bures dished out 9 assists and snatched 5 steals. Sophomore guard Taurean Micken rounded out the double figure scorers with 16 points and 4 steals. South Suburban shot 32/62 (51%) from the field, 4/12 (33.3%) from behind the “3” point line, and 18/24 (75%) from the free throw line. Danville made 25/39 free throws to help them with the victory.

Elgin Community College 12/07/24

The #9 Bulldogs overcame a 15-point first half deficit and pulled ahead with 1:20 left in the game. SSC won a tough road match against Elgin Community College 97-90. Elgin opened up with a 28-13 lead with 10:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 17-8 run and closed the gap to 36-30 with 6:30 to go. They trailed 52-45 at halftime. The Bulldogs took their first lead at 63-62 with 13:46 left in the game. They continued to lead 80-78 with 5:00 remaining. Elgin went on an 8-0 run and lead 86-80 with 3:30 to go. Freshman guard Tyler Wooten scored a 10 foot jump shot with 2:10 left, giving SSC a brief 88-87 lead. Elgin made a free throw to tie the game at 88 with 1:30 to go. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens made a “3” point shot with 1:20 left to give SSC the lead for good at 91-88. SSC closed the game out on a 17-4 run for the 7-point victory.

Three Bulldogs scored a career high. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored a career high 21 points. Sophomore forward Demetrius Moss scored a career high 12 points. Other double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs were freshmen guards Tyler Wooten, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and AJ Abrams’ 13 points and 8 rebounds. SSC improved to 9-1 on the season. South Suburban shot 38/68 (55.9%) from the field, 3/13 (23.1%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 18/23 (78.3%) from the free throw line. Elgin, who was led by freshman guard Davee Flowers’ 33 points, shot 29/71 (40.8%) from the field, 12/33 (36.4%) from the “3”, and 20/34 (58.8%) from the free throw line.

Morton College 12/03/24

The Bulldogs moved up to #9 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, and took that ranking to their home contest against Morton. SSC played a hard-fought battle and was victorious 81-70. The game started with Morton taking a 26-25 lead with 6:00 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs closed the half out on a 19-6 run and lead 44-32 at halftime. The first 10:00 of the second half determined the game’s outcome. SSC outscored the visitors 21-9 and lead 65-41 with 10:00 to go in the game. The Bulldogs took their biggest lead at 77-51 with 5:00 to go. They were out scored by Morton 19-4 to end the game, but still prevailed with the double-digit victory.

SSC had 3 freshmen score in double figures, led by AJ Abrams’ 19 points. He filled the stat line with 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. Guard Tanner Fields scored a career high 17 points. Tyler Wooten chipped in 16 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 43-35. South Suburban shot 31/68 (45.6%) from the field, 7/21 (33.3%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 12/20 (60%) from the free throw line. Morton shot 23/56 (41.1%) from the field, 8/23 (34.8%) from the “3”, and 16/23 (69.6%) from the free throw line. SSC improved to 8-1 on the season.

Oakton College 11/26/24

The #10 Bulldogs won a tough home game vs. Oakton 80-73, in a game where Oakton never gave in to SSC’s big leads. Oakton started with an early 19-16 lead with 9:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 9-0 run to take a 25-19 lead with 6:30 left to go. The Bulldogs led 40-31 at halftime. The second half started with SSC holding Oakton scoreless for the first 3 minutes. However, Oakton did not give in and cut SSC’s lead to 65-58 with 4:54 left in the game. The Bulldogs applied defensive pressure and went on an 11-2 run, taking their biggest lead of the game at 76-60 with 3:20 to go. The Bulldogs held on for the 7-point victory.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard AJ Abrams’ 22 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds. Fellow freshman guard Samar Bures scored 18 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens chipped in 12 points. South Suburban shot 33/63 (52.3%) from the field, 6/13 (46.2%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 8/11 (72.7%) from the free throw line. Oakton shot 24/57 (42.1%) from the field, 10/29 (34.5%) from the “3”, and 15/19 (78.9%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 28-24. The Bulldogs improved to 7-1 on the season.

Prairie State College 11/23/24

The #10 Bulldogs continued their home stand with a 92-83 victory over Jackson (MI) College and improved Head Coach John Pigatti’s home record to 291-16 during his 19 seasons at SSC. The game started with the Bulldogs taking an early 34-19 lead with 9:00 to go in the first half. Jackson went on a 12-3 run and cut the lead to 37-31 with 5:00 to go. SSC closed the first half on a 13-4 run and took a 50-35 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs built the lead to 71-51 with 11:30 to go in the game. Jackson cut the lead to 83-73 with 4:00 to go, but could only get one point closer, as SSC won the game by 9 points.

South Suburban freshman continued to shine as guard Tyler Wooten scored a career high 32 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. AJ Abrams and Samar Bures scored 18 points apiece to round out the double figure scorers for SSC. South Suburban shot 34/63 (54%) from the field, 5/11 (45.4%) from behind the “3” point line, and 20/26 (76.9%) from the free throw line. Jackson shot 33/63 (52.4%) from the field, 2/7 (28.6%) from the “3”, and 13/22 (59.1%) from the free throw line. Both teams had 36 rebounds in the game. The Bulldogs improved to 6-1 on the season.

Prairie State College 11/21/24

The #10 Bulldogs got back on the winning track at home with a 93-81 victory over their south suburb rival, Prairie State College. SSC has now won 66 out of their last 67 home games. Prairie State took an early 14-12 lead with 14:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 16-2 run to take a 31-16 lead with 8:30 left to go. They led 47-32 at half time. The Bulldogs built their lead to 20 (their biggest lead of the game) with 16:00 left to go in the game. Prairie State went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 62-51 in 1 minute. However, they would never get any closer to the victory as SSC improved to 5-1 on the season.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by freshman Samar Bures who scored his career high 29 points, while grabbing 5 steals, dishing out 3 assists, and snatching a career high 6 steals. Freshmen guards AJ Abrams and Tyler Wooten scored 16 points, respectively. Abrams grabbed 8 rebounds while dishing out 8 assists and snatching 4 steals. SSC sophomore forward Kuba Senczszyn scored a career high 14 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. South Suburban shot 41/60 (68.3%) from the field, but were only 1/8 (12.5%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 10/14 (71.4%) from the free throw line. Prairie State shot 32/61 (52.5%) from the field, 9/16 (56.3%) from the “3”, and 8/11 (72.7%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 28-23.

Olive-Harvey College 11/19/24

The Bulldogs fell to #10 in the recent national rankings. SSC’s final game of their first road trip of the season (three games) ended with Olive-Harvey. The Bulldogs were victorious, winning 94-75. It was the third straight win for the Bulldogs. The game started with Olive-Harvey taking an early 22-17 lead with 9:30 to go in the first half. They continued to lead 34-31 with 4:20 left to go. SSC went on a 10-3 run to end the half and entered halftime with a 41-37 lead. The Bulldogs gained their biggest lead at 83-58 with 6:30 to go and never looked back.

South Suburban had three freshmen guards score 20+ points. Tyler Wooten scored a career high 25 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. AJ Abrams recorded his second double-double of the season (23 points and 11 rebounds). Samar Bures scored 20 points while dishing out 5 assists and snatching 3 steals. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore forward Kuba Senczyszyn who scored 10 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. SSC won the rebounding battle 36-23. South Suburban shot 34-57 (59.6%) from the field, only 1-9 (11.1%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 25-30 (83.3%) from the free throw line. Olive-Harvey shot 26-54 (48.1%) from the field, 5/14 (35.7%) from the “3”, and 18-40 (45%) from the free throw line. SSC improved to 4-1 on the season.

Spoon River College 11/16/24

The #9 Bulldogs continued their early season road trip to a place that has not been nice to them in the past. Coach John Pigatti’s teams have never won at Spoon River College. That changed on November 16 as they were victorious 85-66. SSC trailed 13-12 with 10:45 left to go in the first half. They proceeded to go on a 16-1 run and take a 28-14 lead with 5:20 to go. They led 40-31 at halftime. Spoon River went on a 12-3 run to tie the game at 43 with 16:00 to go in the second half. In the next two minutes, SSC out scored Spoon River 13-2 to take a 56-45 lead. SSC got their biggest lead of the game at 79-60 with 2:30 to go in the game and never looked back.

South Suburban had a balanced scoring attack, as 5 players scored in double figures. Freshman Samar Bures led the team in scoring with 16 points while snatching a career high 7 steals. He also dished out 3 assists. Freshman guard Tyler Wooten scored 13 points while grabbing 4 rebounds. Sophomore guard Taurean Mickens scored 12 points and dished out 4 assists. Sophomore forward Kuba Senczyszyn recorded his first double double as he scored 11 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Freshman guard AJ Abrams scored 10 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. SSC won the rebounding battle 42-27. South Suburban shot 33/62 (53.2%) from the field, 3/12 (25%) from behind the “3” point line, and 16/21 (76.2%) from the free throw line. Spoon River shot 19/54 (35.2%) from the field, 5/25 (20%) from the “3”, and 23/34 (67.6%) from the free throw line. SSC improved to 3-1 on the season.

McHenry County College 11/12/24

The Bulldogs dropped to #9 in the latest NJCAA Division II rankings, and they headed out for their first road game of the season. They were victorious at McHenry County College 98-60. The game started out slow with McHenry taking an early 5-2 lead. The game stayed tight as SSC held a 29-27 lead with 6:00 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs closed out the first half on a 12-1 run and took a 41-28 lead into the halftime break. SSC took their biggest lead of the game at 86-44 with 8:00 to go in the game and cruised to the 38-point victory.

South Suburban had a lot of stat fillers for this game. They were led in scoring by freshman guard Tyler Wooten’s career high 29 points, and career high 9 rebounds. Freshman guard Samar Bures scored 20 points while grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists and snatching 2 steals. Freshman guard AJ Abrams scored 16 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 8 assists and snatched 3 steals of his own for the Bulldogs. Sophomores Kuba Senczyszyn (10), Taurean Mickens (8), and Pape Ndiaye (7) recorded personal highs in rebounding for SSC. South Suburban shot 40/77 (51.9%) from the field, 7/20 (35%) from behind the “3”-point line, and 11/19 (57.9%) from the free throw line. McHenry County College statistics were not available at the time of this release. South Suburban improved to 2-1 on the season.

Southwestern Michigan College 11/9/24

The #2 Bulldogs had their 65-game home winning streak snapped with a 66-61 defeat to Southwestern Michigan College. Head Coach John Pigatti’s home record falls to 289-16 over the 19 seasons he has been at SSC. The game started tightly as it was tied at 13 with 10:00 to go in the first half. SSC went on a 12-0 run and took a 25-13 lead with 4:00 left in the half. SSC led 30-16 with 2:30 to go and Southwestern went on an 8-0 run to end the first half. The Bulldogs only led 30-26 at halftime. SSC built the lead to 11 in the second half at 44-33 with 14:00 to go in the game. Southwestern chipped away at the victory and took a 62-61 lead with 1:00 left. The Bulldogs only scored 2 points in the last 6:00 of the game.

SSC was led in scoring by two freshmen: Samar Bures and Tyler Wooten who scored 16 points a piece. The only other double-digit scorer was sophomore guard Taurean Mickes, who chipped in 12 points for the Bulldogs. SSC faced defeat due to excessive fouling. They were whistled for 27 fouls while Southwestern only had 11. SSC scored 8 more baskets and 5 more “3”-point shots than Southwestern. SSC shot 24/60 (40%) from the field, 7/25 (25%) from the “3”, and only 6/13 (46.2%) from the free throw line. Southwestern shot 16/48 (33.3%) from the field, 2/19 (10.5%) from the “3”, but were 32/40 (80%) from the free throw line. Southwestern won the rebounding battle 41/30. The Bulldogs fell to 1-1 on the season.

Calumet College of St. Joseph 11/5/24

The #2 ranked Bulldogs opened their 2024-25 season with a 93-65 victory over the Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) JV team. The victory was SSC’s 65th straight home win. The game started with CCJS taking an early 7-6 lead. SSC went on a 22-3 run and built their lead to 28-10 with 10:00 to go in the first half. They led 47-27 at half time. CCSJ closed the gap to 56-41 with 15:00 left to go in the game. SSC went on a 33-16 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 87-55 with 4:00 left to go. They utilized their bench players for the final 28-point victory.

SSC was led in scoring by freshman guard Samar Bures’ 27 points. He also dished out 4 assists and snatched 3 steals. Freshman guard AJ Abrams recorded his first career double/double as he scored 24 points while grabbing 15 rebounds. Abrams also dished out 6 assists and snatched 5 steals. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs was freshman forward Tyler Wooten who scored 18 points. SSC shot 41/63 (65.1%) from the field, while shooting only 1/9 (11.1%) from behind the “3”-point line. They also shot 10/16 (62.5%) from the free throw line. CCSJ shot 20/41 (48.8%) from the field, 3/14 (21.4%) from the “3”, and 22/27 (81.5%) from the free throw line. SSC won the rebounding battle 43-30. The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the season.