INDIANAPOLIS – The Point Rating System (PRS) is starting to round into form for playoff hopefuls as a very familiar face earned Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors on Monday.
A battle between No. 6 Findlay and No. 12 Hillsdale tilted the arrow towards the Chargers on Saturday in the second meeting of the regular season between both programs. Hillsdale widened its lead in the PRS with 6.5 points for the home win – the Chargers now have a 4.25 point total while Findlay is second at 3.81.
Hillsdale also defeated Cedarville in a double-overtime final earlier in the week. If the season were to end today, Kentucky Wesleyan and Walsh would also be in line to host first-round quarterfinal games in the conference tournament.
Malone made significant gains with strong wins with impressive wins over Cedarville and at Walsh in the crosstown rivalry series. The Pioneers are now pushing 80 points per game, second in the league in scoring only behind Cedarville, and vaulted into fifth in the PRS.
Bo Myers had some big moments while averaging 22 ppg in both wins; he is leading the Pioneers in scoring this season and is second in the conference at 18.8 points per game through 10 played.
Tiffin is also on the cusp of qualifying for the conference tournament with placement of sixth in the PRS. The Dragons enhanced their status by beating Cedarville as well and the women’s program pulled off a stunning upset of their own against the No. 9 nationally ranked Yellow Jackets.
Ohio Dominican and Cedarville have tentative holds on seventh and eighth in the PRS. Time still remains for others to creep back into the mix. Lake Erie also secured its first victory of the season on the road at Trevecca Nazarene.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Patrick Cartier
Hillsdale
Forward
Sophomore
Brookfield, WI (East HS)
Cartier went back-to-back and was picked for conference player of the week status for the fourth time in 2020-21 following another torrid stretch while helping lead his team to a pair of victories.
The sophomore was scintillating from the field by shooting a combined 18-of-24 (75%). The current league leader in scoring went way above his averages by putting up 28.5 points per game as the Chargers ousted Cedarville and No. 6 Findlay.
Cartier also averaged 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists per contest as Hillsdale upped its season record to 13-1 and pushed its win streak to 10 straight. The Chargers figure to crack the top 10 when the new NABC Division II rankings are released this week.
Hillsdale and Cedarville tangled for a Groundhog Day matchup as Cartier erupted for a game-high 30 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He also made 14 free throws but also played 49 of the possible 50 minutes in a double-overtime finish.
His 30 points was tied for the single-game high in the conference this year along Kentucky Wesleyan’s Tre Cobbs (30 vs. Malone on Jan. 4).
Cartier’s level of production didn’t fall off one bit as the Chargers evened up the season series vs. Findlay on Saturday with a double-digit margin of victory. Cartier led all players again with 27 points and he was 10-of-13 from the field.
Cartier sank six more free throws and collected seven boards while dishing three assists in 31 minutes. The last time Hillsdale lost was on January 2.
Cartier is averaging 19.9 points per game to pace the Great Midwest and is also back on top in field goal percentage at 64.3 percent on the season. He has made 110 of his 171 field goal tries this year.