Both Jeremy Irving and Darius Jones helped secure a win against Black Hawk College-Moline on Feb. 28. It was a team effort that fueled the Oakton Owls to pull the score up to 80-76 after trailing behind most of the game.

Irving lead the team with 22 points as the rest of the starters, Pat Hamilton, Max Johnson, and Jeremy Parker each poured in 14, 4  and 13 points respectively. The bench also bumped up the score with a cumulative total of 14 points from both Tristan DeFay and Jack Framke.

It was definitely a free throw game as a close tie towards the end lead the Black Hawks to foul Darius Jones multiple times in order to gain immediate possession of the ball. With more than half of his total 13 points being from the line, Jones kept calm under pressure and nailed down the final winning points with precision.

“I feel like I’m on cloud nine,” said Irving after the game.  

What contributed to the night’s win according to Irving, “We emphasized urgency and chemistry, better defense and being together on offense.”

The duo of Irving and Jones displayed that the All-Conference Honors were well-deserved. Each player showed tremendous effort in lifting their team up with Irving leading the team in points, and Jones tipping the final points over for the win  In response to being an All-Conference Honor, Jones said, “It’s nice to be recognized for the hard work.”

Irving continued, “It’s an honor, and it shows the dedication on and off the court.”

The close score and splendid performance from both Irving and Jones made for an entertaining game and a great night. “Thanks, everybody for coming out,” said Irving.