Box Score PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College men's basketball team made a run at it, but in the end, their comeback fell just short.  The Hawks battled back from an 18-point deficit and got as close as a point with less than four minutes to play before losing 81-73 to College of DuPage.
 
The game also had key seeding implications for the upcoming Region IV Tournament.  DuPage (11-17, 4-7 N4C) now leads Harper (10-16, 3-8) by one game with three to play in the race for the #4 seed, which would mean a home game in the quarterfinals.  The Chaparrals will also have the tiebreaker due to their 75-66 win on Jan. 19.
 
Kendell Bailey's two free throws gave DuPage their biggest lead at 62-44 and with under ten minutes to play, the Chaparrals still led 66-49.  But that's when the Hawks began a furious comeback, embarking on a 21-5 run that took just over six minutes off the clock.  Harper allowed just one field goal during that span.
 
Connor Miklasz (Mount Prospect, Ill., Hersey) began the run with the free throw and followed it up with feeds to Michael Rose (Rolling Meadows, Ill., Rolling Meadows) for a basket and then John Lorenz (Elk Grove, Ill., Elk Grove) for a three-pointer.  Still trailing 71-63 with under six minutes left, Miklasz found Rose again for a hoop.  On the defensive end, Tyler Gaedele (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows ) blocked Jake Martin's shot and when Martin tried to go up a second time, Rose blocked him.  Garett Gatz (Elk Grove Village, Ill., Conant) picked up the rebound and raced to the other end for a left-handed layup, plus the foul.  A minute later, Miklasz found an open Gaedele, who knocked down his sixth three-pointer of the night to cut the lead to 71-70 with 3:29 remaining.
 
From there, Baily scored on a tough floater in the lane.  After a Miklasz free throw, the Hawks had a chance to take the lead but Gatz's three-pointer rimmed out with 2:31 left.  Harper wouldn't get any closer the rest of the way.
 
Gaedele finished with 18 points and five rebounds.  Rose added 13 points and five rebounds while  Miklasz had nine points and ten assists.  Lorenz (9 points), Charles Wright (Cheyenne, Wyo., Cheyenne East) (9 points) and Eric Porter (Arlington Heights, Ill., Lake Zurich) (8 points) also contributed on offense.