W-Basketball: Rock Valley defeats College of DuPage, wins sixth consecutive conference championship
Box Score The measuring stick for success for basketball programs around the country:
1) Make deep tournament runs
2) Compete at the top of the conference
3) Earn recognition in national polls
Check, check, and check. For a sixth consecutive season the
Misty Opat-led Golden Eagles have earned an N4C conference championship. Additionally, the Golden Eagles are going for their 4th national championship in six years this season and have earned a national runner-up as well. RVC has been ranked in the top 10 in the country throughout the past six seasons including three consecutive seasons as the #1 team in the country.
(
Misty Opat,
Jaycee Cleaver,
Brianna Davis - RVC Athletics)
On Wednesday RVC defeated College of DuPage at home 60-46. The Golden Eagles got off to a fast start outscoring the Chaparrals 16-7 in the first quarter and never looking back.
Freshman guard
Jaycee Cleaver (Davis, IL) led the way for RVC with 14 points (4-7 3PT).
Brianna Davis (Rockford, IL) scored 12 points while a trio of Golden Eagles scored 8 points each (
Creighton Fed,
Tierra McGowan,
Asia Jones). McGowan pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
"We dominated on the boards again tonight," head coach
Misty Opat stated as RVC held a 59-33 rebounding advantage. "I am proud of our defensive effort which has been a staple of our success all season."
Rock Valley held DuPage to a very chilly 21.6% from the field (11-51). This is the third consecutive game RVC has held their opponent under 30% shooting from the field.
The Golden Eagles improve to 21-7 (10-2 N4C) on the season while College of DuPage falls to 9-16 (2-9 N4C).
Rock Valley is back in action on Saturday vs. Highland Community College (IL). Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM. The Golden Eagles will honor their sophomores before the game. Additionally, Rock Valley will induct 11 into the Hall of Fame with a ceremony set to begin at halftime of the men's 3:00 PM game.
