Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl likes his team and thinks they can do good things this season, but he was not happy with the way the seventh-ranked Eagles played in their 77-49 victory over Triton in the opening round of the

Kirkwood Classic at Johnson Hall Friday night.

"Selfish. Very selfish," he said after the easy win.

Kirkwood (5-0) shot only 33.3 percent from the field and collected only 17 assists, two of the stats that displeased the head coach. And that wasn't all.

"They didn't guard, they didn't get back defensively," he maintained. "They were going through the motions. It's not good enough. And they'll get beat. We have a good team, but they'll get beat in a big game."

The Eagles have already knocked off three ranked teams this season with verdicts State Fair (No. 18 in Division I), Parkland (No. 8 in Division II) and Illinois Central (No. 11 in Division II). Muhl thinks those three impressive victories may have contributed to the lackluster performance against Triton.

"I like this group. They're good kids," he said. "But everyone gets a little cocky when you're 4-and-0. Basketball, like any sport, is a humbling experience really quick."

Muhl is confident his team will listen, learn and respond with a better effort Saturday against Waubonsee Community College at 3 p.m. in the second round of the tournament.

"They're pretty good at that," he said. "They'll be all right."

Simone Goods led Kirkwood with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Shaneequah Watkins finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Olivia Usher, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad who has moved into the starting lineup, added 10 points.

TRITON (49): Wiggins 1 1-2 3, Charvarria 2 0-0 4, Harper 1 0-2 2, Pate 4 1-3 9, Shelton 4 4-4 12, Gaines 1 4-6 6, Donado 0 0-0 0, Germany 1 0-0 2, T.Jackson 3 1-2 8, Y.Jackson 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 12-21 49.

KIRKWOOD (77): Harris 2 5-8 9, Wilson 1 0-0 3, Watkins 6 2-2 17, Goods 6 5-10 17, Usher 5 0-1 10, Puok 0 0-0 0, Hedges 0 3-4 3, Axcell 2 1-2 6, Schmidt 0 0-0 0, Ajak 2 1-1 5, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Voss 1 3-4 5, Cotton 0 0-0 0, Wilson 0 0-0 0, Achenbach 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 20-32 77.

Halftime - Kirkwood 38, Triton 21. 3-point goals - Triton 1 (T.Jackson 1), Kirkwood 5 (Watkins 3, Wilson 1, Axcell 1).