CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 15 Parkland men's basketball team improved to 11-3 with an 80-69 victory over the Illinois College JV squad (4-3). The Cobras were led by Carter Jeffries (19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists) who scored 15 from behind the arc.
 
Parkland and Illinois College battled back and forth in the first half, with the lead changing 6 times. Though both teams struggled offensively, shooting under 43%, the Cobras pulled ahead by 6 at the half. Jefferies and Noah Persich (12 points, 3 rebounds) carried Parkland offensively, scoring 10 and 8, respectively, at that point.
 
The second half started much the same, with 2 more lead changes. As the half progressed, the Cobras began to pull away with strong rebounding from Jeffries, Bruno Williams Jr. (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), and Joey Saracco (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks). Parkland's shooting percentage improved to 53% in the second period, while that of the Blueboys JV remained nearly the same.
 
Saracco was a force in the paint with 3 blocked shots and 2 dunks. Additional double-digit scoring came from Tommy Makabu (10 points, 4 assists) and Charles Campbell Jr. (10 points, 3 rebounds), and assist leaders included Makabu, Campbell Jr., Kelvin Swims (3 assists, 2 steals) and Kamari Kenemore (3 assists).
 
Up next, the Cobras travel to Chicago, Ill., to take on Richard J. Daley College on Saturday, January 11th, at 3:00 pm.