East Peoria, IL - The Illinois Central College men's basketball team lost 61-81 against John Wood Community College in the final regular season game of the 2025-2026 season on Wednesday. The Cougars end the regular season at 15-12 overall and 6-8 in conference play. 

It was a tough game for the Cougars, as they shot only 25% on the night. On the other hand, John Wood came into the game on a hot streak, having won 4 of their last 5 games, including an upset win over first place Rend Lake. 

The game started with both teams struggling to get a shot to fall, with John Wood in the lead 2-0 by the first media timeout. John Wood went up 8-0 before ICC scored. The game went back and forth throughout the rest of the first half, with ICC taking the lead with 2 minutes left on a basket by Benjamin Goeh (12 pts). The Cougars went into halftime up 27-26. 

John Wood came out of the half on a 7-0 run, leading 33-27 with 18 minutes remaining when ICC called a timeout. ICC responded with back-to-back baskets by Javaughn Robinson (6 pts, 10 rebounds) and Rickey Coleman (13 pts). The teams then exchanged scoring runs, with John Wood going on an 11-1 run followed by an 11-4 run by ICC. 

ICC took their largest lead of the game, 44-41, with 5:02 left, and John Wood tied it up at 44 not too long after. John Wood started to pull away and ICC continued to fight, but it wasn't enough, and John Wood won, 81-61. 

The Cougars play next in the Regional Tournament on Tuesday, March 3, with the location and opponent TBD. 

Stat leaders from Wednesday's game are posted below: 

Individual Stats
Jaylen Brown - 4 pts, 4 rebounds
Javaughn Robinson - 6 pts, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
Peyton Hess - 5 pts
Anthony Moore - 6 pts, 7 rebounds
Benjamin Goeh - 12 pts
Rickey Coleman - 13 pts
Jaylen McElmurry - 5 pts

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Tuesday, March 2
Regional Tournament
Location, Time, and Opponent TBD