HILLSDALE, Mich. – The Final Four of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship semifinals clashed in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Friday night, fighting for the chance to play for an AQ for the NCAA Atlantic Regional in the title game.
With the all-conference team announced on Thursday afternoon, the stars were out in full force for both matchups between No. 1 Hillsdale/No. 4 Malone and No. 2 Findlay/No. 6 Cedarville.
As it turned out, March Madness continued through the second round as Championship Saturday became set for No. 4 Malone vs. No. 6 Cedarville with a tipoff at 4 p.m. ET.
At the beginning of the day, it was tough make any kind of determination who might have an upper hand in either of these games. Each team brought intensity to their morning shootarounds and appeared for the most part, very healthy in the most crucial time.
A 17-game win streak while defending the home court was on the line for the No. 9 nationally ranked Chargers. The Pioneers are certainly peaking when it matters most with a nine-game win streak of their own. Findlay, nationally and regionally ranked, was trying to put its recent conference postseason history in the rearview mirror. Cedarville came back from Owensboro in the late hours of the morning following a quarterfinal win and was trying to get back to the championship game since winning the inaugural offering back in 2013.
No. 4 Malone 74, No. 1 Hillsdale 64
In the first game, there were five first team all-conference honorees on the court, including three from Malone and two from Hillsdale.
Energy in the building was at a high level from both sides and it was about withstanding the first wave of adversity in the opening minutes from tip off. Malone fell behind on a 7-0 run to start but responded with a 16-7 run that included a Bryce Butler three-point play in transition.
The Pioneers led 23-14 midway through the first half and threatened to lead by double-digits on possessions capped by a banked-in triple and nifty up-and-under move in the paint by Brian Reed fresh off the bench.
Hillsdale’s Tavon Brown, named to the conference all-defensive team, showed his two-way skill in the early stages with a block coming from the weak side and made three baskets close in succession as the Chargers worked to get the offense tracked.
Malone was just relentless in pounding the offensive glass to set up second-chance opportunities. Marcus Ernst gave the Pioneers that double-digit lead with a tough shot inside the final minute of the first half and Butler drilled a step back buzzer beater from the FT line extended for a 41-29 lead at the break.
A mini run by Davis Larson brought the lead down within single digits and Hillsdale went to the conference player of the year Patrick Cartier. But Malone’s Bo Myers hit nothing but net on a pure catch-and-shoot from deep with 10:16 left to push the lead back up to 13. HC’s Kyle Goessler made back-to-back triples to cut the lead to nine and a spin move dribble drive from Cartier made it 59-52.
The next possession was a behind-the-back dime from Justin Miller to a cutting Ernst. But the Chargers kept coming – and Cartier was just unstoppable down low as he made trimmed the lead down to two at 63-61 with a two-handed slam. Hillsdale got to within one, but couldn’t grab the lead as Malone made some key free throws late.
Ernst would finish with a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Butler was right there with 16 and Miller would end up with 12. Myers was the fourth Pioneer in double-digits with 10. Cartier was the high man in the game with 24 points on 11-15 shooting.
No. 6 Cedarville 76, No. 2 Findlay 73
In the nightcap, the Oilers and Yellow Jackets took center stage trying to book their spot in Saturday’s championship final. Between both sides, the chess pieces were just strikingly similar in their third meeting of 2021: talented bigs with soft touch, defensive-minded guards with the acumen to make right reads and ample wing athleticism.
Junior guard Quinton Green led the Yellow Jackets with 12 points in the first half but drew his third foul early in the second half. Cedarville led by five, which in this game probably felt more like a 10-point lead as teams were grinding it out for points on each possession.
Cedarville senior Conner TenHove drilled a pair of back-to-back 3’s for an eight-point Cedarville advantage. With a little over 12 minutes left, Isaiah Speelman dropped in a long three for either team’s first double-digit lead that put the Yellow Jackets up 57-46.
For Findlay, the Oilers had 11 points from Joey Edmonds, but he went down late in the first half with an injury and was unable to return to play.
Findlay became more reliant on their first team all-conference tandem of Tommy Schmock and Nathan Bruns in the second half while trying to claw back. The pair connected for a layup in transition after a steal that brought Findlay to within six at 60-54.
Under seven minutes to go, both teams exchanged blows of the same variety. Three’s for three’s – Speelman was answered by Schmock. Conner TenHove had a nice three-point play followed by one on the other end by Findlay’s Tre’Maine Gray.
With four minutes left, a pair of made FT’s by Gray made 69-67 still in favor of Cedarville. The Yellow Jackets missed a pair of front end one-and-one’s and Gray then banked a tough shot that gave the Oilers their first lead with about two minutes left at 70-69.
Andrew Owens drilled a game-tying trey from the wing with just under a minute left in regulation that prompted a Cedarville timeout. Again, there were more FT opportunities that some of the players would like to have back. Bruns rifled an inbounds pass that found Ethan Linder with a more than favorable look at a game-tying shot, but just went a little strong off back iron as the horn sounded.
All five Cedarville starters scored in double-digits. Schmock and Bruns combined for 31 points and Gray would finish with 15.