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02.23.05 - In first round
MCC tournament action, the NAIA 7th-ranked Huntington
College Foresters (21-9) outlasted a feisty Bethel College (17-14)
squad to pick up the 88-79 win. The Pilots, who lost 80-77 to the
Foresters last week, were ready for a rematch. Early in the
contest, the teams traded baskets and were tied at 14-14 seven
minutes in when a couple threes seemed to sway the momentum in the
Pilots favor. Bethel put a 15-4 run on the Foresters and took its
largest lead of the game at 34-21 on a jumper by Traver Griffin with
just over five minutes left in the half. Following a Huntington
timeout, the Foresters began to claw their way back into the game.
An Alex Kock trey just four seconds before the halftime buzzer cut
the Pilots’ lead to 38-35 at the break. The second half started
much like the first with both teams answering the other until a
jumper by Kock gave Huntington a 52-50 lead, one they would not give
up. The Foresters gradually pushed their advantage to 67-60 with
7:43 to play, but Bethel still had another run left. The Pilots cut
Huntington’s lead to two on four occasions, the last at 76-74 with
two minutes to go. On Huntington’s next possession, Kyle Ganton
grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in to give the Foresters a
four-point cushion with 1:48 on the clock. The Pilots then began to
send Huntington to the charity stripe and the Foresters were a
perfect 10-10 to close out the win and eliminate Bethel from the
tournament. Huntington’s Steve Snider made a big impact in the
paint going 11-15 from the field and 2-3 from the line to lead all
scorers with 24 points. Snider also grabbed a game-high 10 boards
for the Foresters. Other double digit scorers for Huntington
include Kock with 19, Ganton with 15, and Chase Verba with 11.
Adrick Hills had 20 points to lead the Pilots. The Foresters
continue on to the semi-finals of the MCC Tournament on Saturday,
February 26 at 3:00 p.m. when they host the Grace College Lancers
who knocked off Marian College 73-68 in their first round game.
Box Score |
