Bracket (PDF)
INDIANAPOLIS – The bracket has come down to the No. 3 vs. No. 8 seeds as Walsh prepares for a Saturday showdown vs. Kentucky Wesleyan in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship tournament.
Both teams pulled off upsets on Friday night at Findlay’s Croy Gymnasium as Walsh defeated No. 2 UF and the glass slipper still fits for KWC after eliminating No. 5 Malone in overtime.
Walsh and Kentucky Wesleyan forged their own respective paths to get this far and try to lay claim to the automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.
Walsh and Findlay played the first game and all the fans were looking forward to a rematch of last year’s conference championship final. The Cavaliers were undaunted by the home crowd’s enthusiasm, staying steady to hold a course that would turn into an 81-72 final.
Walsh is the defending conference tournament champions and had 23 points from sharpshooter Mark Mokros, who nailed seven triples from three-point territory.
By the 10:16 mark in the first half, Walsh opened its first-double digit lead. The Cavaliers had a 15-point edge but could not count Findlay out at any juncture of the game. Findlay had trimmed it down to a more-than-manageable seven-point deficit by the break.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Findlay trailed by just three. The Cavaliers regrouped and back-to-back threes along with free throws by JT Shumate had the lead swell again.
Mokros led Walsh with 23 points on (7-11 3-PT FG). RS freshman guard Christian Montague had a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards while also recording four assists and a pair of steals.
The defensive stood tall at the rim, contesting every shot in the paint courtesy of Caleb Canter and Mark Kostelac. Canter had a nice jump hook and a two-handed slam; he had the game-clinching basket in the title game during last year’s tournament run for the Cavaliers.
Kentucky Wesleyan let out a sigh of relief as deadly shooter Jaret Majestic saw his game-tying shot just hit a little bit too strong off back iron to close out OT. Majestic had previously canned a three more than a few steps beyond the line to make it a one-point game.
The Panthers had alredy sent the No. 1 seed packing on Tuesday – and tonight’s blueprint for success worked to perfection.
The Panthers were actually playing from behind for most of the game, but really came on strong in the latter half of this one. Missed FT’s could have really come back to haunt both sides but players were putting it out all on the line to extend their season.
Senior guard Adam Goetz had 17 of his game-high 27 in the first half, showing off his all-conference skill set with the midrange game, the dribble drive and the long distance accuracy. Zach Hopewell was a key running mate as he finished with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Goetz forced OT with his shot with 35 seconds left on the clock. The Pioneers had some impressive moments in the second half including a wicked putback dunk by Sehill Mouliom and Daylan Haynie splashed a three at the top of the key with about six minutes left.
Malone led by seven points with 1:17 left, but KWC ratcheted up the full court pressure and forced its counterpart into a few miscues down the stretch. Jo Griffin made two huge contested threes, the final one making it a two-point game with inside a minute remaining.
The Panthers and Cavaliers will battle it out for the conference tournament title on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET.