CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 18 Parkland men's basketball team improved to 12-4 with an 89-67 win over the Illinois Wesleyan JV team (4-3). Carter Jeffries (35 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) led the team in scoring, with 35, converting on all 7 of his free throws.
 
The Cobras led from start to finish, taking a 7-0 early lead and never looking back. Fifty-two percent shooting from the floor, along with a strong defense that held the visiting Titans to 38%, produced a 10-point halftime lead. Jeffries had 14 points by the break, and Bruno Williams Jr. (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Tommy Makabu (12 points, 6 assists, 1 block) each had seven.
 
Parkland extended the lead in the second half, shooting 61% from the field. Additional offense came from Joey Saracco (8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Charles Campbell Jr. (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals). The Cobras ended the game with 56% shooting from the field and 86% from the charity stripe, making 18 of 21. Wesleyan was ultimately held to 36% from the field, though they hit 14 of 15 from the line.
 
Led by Makabu, Campbell Jr., and Williams Jr., Parkland had 18 assists, compared to only 4 for the Titans. Saracco corralled nine rebounds to lead the Cobras to a total of thirty-three, and also had 3 blocks.
 
Up next, the Cobras host Malcolm X College in Champaign, Ill., on Thursday, January 16th, at 7:30 pm.