Harlem gets look at top talent over Christmas
The Harlem boys basketball team finished its Christmas break 1-3 after falling to Waubonsie Valley at home this past Friday.
The Huskies got chances to measure themselves against two of the top teams in the state, losing to 14-1 Rock Island in a Christmas tournament and the now 14-0 Warriors from Aurora.
Waubonsie Valley jumped out to a 22-11 after the first quarter. Harlem played the Warriors somewhat even in the second quarter, but Waubonsie put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring Harlem 20-11. The final was 67-39 for the Warriors.
Matt Saunders hit three three-pointers in the first half for nine points. Mateo Perera had eight of his team-high 11 in the third quarter. Julius Roundtree added eight points.
The Huskies are now 5-8 overall and 3-3 in the NIC-10. Conference play starts up against Wednesday when the Huskies take on East, which is 3-2 in the NIC-10 and 7-7 overall. It will be an important measuring stick for Harlem. East is coming off a 7-25 season, but the E-Rabs had won 20 games or more five straight full seasons before that and were 12-1 in the shortened COVID season.